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jWjliil II— iiiihiiiiw iiiiiiiiiinii iiwiiiiii minimi i mini mi iiniini iiiiiiniiiiii iiiiiiiiiinii iiiiiiiiiniii iiiiiiiiiiiin iiiiiniiiiiii inn 1 1 1 1 1 i i miiiiiiiiiii i mi i inrTr 

Travel Sketches 

□ 

of I 

I 

Norway, Sweden, Russia, 

5 

Austria, Belgium and 
Holland 

a 

By 1 

Grace M. Levin^s 



19 Original Illustrations 



Chicago 

Barnard and Miller 

Publishers 

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COPYRIGHTED BY 

GRACE M. LEVINGS 
1915 

publish ed 
December, 1915 



/ 



JAN 3 1916 

©CI.A420223 
<\V9 « I i 



> 



To 

MY HUSBAND 

THE DOCTOR 



The design on the front cover is the Castle of 

Elsinore, where Shakespeare makes the 

ghost appear to Hamlet. 



CONTENTS 

Page 

Chapter I : 

Norway and Sweden 1 

Chapter 1 1 : 

Russia and Austria 55 

Chapter III: 

Belgium and Holland 130 




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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

CHAPTER I. 

Norway and Sweden. 

We left New York on the North German 
Lloyd steamer, Kaiser Wilhelm II., for 
Bremen, Germany, with the intention of 
traveling through Norway, Sweden and 
Russia. Almost all of the passengers alighted 
at Plymouth, and Cherbourg, leaving but 
few of us on board and making the last two 
days of the trip seem very long. 

We went from Bremen to Hamburg by 
train. At Hamburg I suddenly discovered 
that my guide-book was over ten years old, 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

and that the hotel I had selected from it as 
a place of sojourn, was no longer on the 
Hamburg map. We therefore walked di- 
rectly across the street from the railway 
station, and from a row of prosperous look- 
ing hotels, selected one and registered for 
apartments. 

In Hamburg there is one of the largest 
hospitals in Europe. Doctor was therefore 
off before eight o'clock the next morning to 
visit it. 

Left to my own resources, I took a cab and 
drove quite a distance, until I saw some at- 
tractive shops where I paid the cab man. 
Previously on European trips I had carried 
my own money; but this time I decided to 
get rid of that responsibility, and had 
handed all of it over to Doctor. After I had 
paid the cab man I had just five dollars left 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

in my pocket book. I entered a shop, selected 
some very attractive dinner place cards, and 
asked the price. "Twenty marks (five dol- 
lars) ", said the shop man. I immediately 
put down my five dollars, took the package 
and went out on the street. It had com- 
menced to rain very hard. For the first 
time I now realized that I had spent all my 
money. I could not hire a cab, and did not 
know the name of my hotel, a few miles dis- 
tant. I was penniless and lost in a strange 
city. After having walked a long distance in 
the rain I came to a Cook & Son office. The 
manager called a cab and told the driver to 
take me to the side of the railroad station 
which faces the hotel. The hotel porter paid 
the cab man. 

I did not look in the box containing my 
23lace cards until I returned to America. I 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

then found that I had about a dozen cards in 
all, but some were broken. I am sure that 
I had selected and paid for about three 
dozen; but perhaps the shop man did not 
understand my German, because in Ham- 
burg they roll their r's at the end of the 
tongue. They said to me in the shop, „Sie 
sprechen schon gut Deutsch aber es passt 
nicht hierher." (You speak good German 
already but it doesn't fit here.) Now I am 
quite convinced that one should not give 
away all his ready money. 

The next morning before leaving the hotel 
I asked the clerk where I could buy a Ger- 
man flag. He replied in a passementerie 
shop. 

In the Jungfernstieg Strasse (the path of 
the young lady) was a post wagon of bright 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

canary yellow, upon which was seated the 
driver in a brilliant red cape, and helmet. 

The architecture of the business houses 
and hotels in Hamburg, situated around the 
Alster Lake, is as striking and handsome as 
any in Europe. The residences in most 
cases are constructed of fine red brick, and 
the coloring is very artistic. They have 
white trimmings, finished porticoes, and 
pointed roofs, which produce a sort of light, 
airy, chalet style of architecture. There are 
a great many window boxes of flowers, in 
variegated, brilliant colorings. The general 
effect of the city is one of substantiality, 
wealth, artistic finish and prosperity. 

The parks are beautiful; the street car 
system excellent. In every car there is a 
sign reading, "No woman allowed here with 
hat pins which project beyond her hat." 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

In the old Jewish quarter there are whole 
streets of medieval houses similar to those 
of Rouen and Caen, in France. 

After spending a day in Hamburg, we 
took the train for Lubeck, en route for Co- 
penhagen. One can go by way of Kiel, 
where the famous yacht regatta is held ; but 
somebody said that Lubeck is a rarely in- 
teresting town, so we quickly decided upon 
that route. 

Lubeck should not be missed. The pon- 
derous feudal gate through which one enters 
is quite typical of the town ; for we find here 
many antiquated buildings with quaint roofs 
and many streets with picturesque turns. 

In the Rathskeller there are wonderful 
rooms, decorated in designs of the medieval 
period. In two of the churches there are 
mechanical clocks of intricate mechanism, 

6 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

which cause startling effects. When the 
clock in the Dom Kirche (Cathedral) strikes, 
a skeleton comes out on one side of the dial 
and an angel on the other side. When the 
clock in the Marien Kirche (St. Mary's 
Church) strikes at noon, the figures of seven 
electors march out, bow before the emperor, 
and withdraw into the clock. The pulpit in 
the Marien Kirche is decorated with large 
sculptured figures in white marble, on a per- 
fectly black back ground. Another striking 
decoration in this church consists of rococo 
gilt frames, surrounding small paintings. 
The frames are such as we are accustomed 
to see on Florentine miniature paintings, but 
are very large, and the pictures are sus- 
pended high on the walls of the church. The 
charm of Llibeck lies in its quaint, graceful, 
artistic antiquity. 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

After about three hours spent in Liibeck, 
we took a cab to drive to the boat for Co- 
penhagen. On the way I noticed a large 
cake and coffee shop which was doing a 
thriving business. The sign over the shop 
read, „Zur kleinen Elisabeth" (To the little 
Elisabeth). 

The boat was scheduled to leave Liibeck 
at 6:30 p. m. We had almost reached the 
dock, which is on the outskirts of the city, 
when we were "held up" by a bridge open- 
ing. The bridge rests upon six screws, three 
at each end. The screws revolve vertically 
and the bridge slowly ascends, always on a 
level. One boat passed rapidly under the 
bridge. It was followed by another, a 
smaller one with a single occupant, who pro- 
pelled his craft by pushing hand over hand 
along the brick foundation. A whistle 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

pierced the air, though no other boat was in 
view, either up or down the river; and the 
bridge remained up in the air. 

By this time a long line of carriages was 
waiting, and fearing we would miss the 
Copenhagen boat I asked a porter; "When 
can we go on?" He replied, „Wenn alles 
wieder los ist." (When everything is loose 
again.) Then around a curve in the river, 
fully a block away, appeared the boat that 
had whistled up in the country somewhere, 
and for ten minutes it proceeded cautiously 
down stream towards us. After it had 
passed, the bridge came down and a tre- 
mendous amount of traffic proceeded on its 
way. 

We went aboard the boat and proceeded 
on our journey. At this season of the year 
it is daylight here until nine o'clock, and 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

twilight until ten. Beautiful views are to be 
seen from the boat deck. Tall grass, a 
man's height, grows along the water's edge, 
and upon the banks are many lumber yards 
and factories. Among the products of these 
factories are white brick, cork and chem- 
icals. 

As the boat pulled into the harbor of Co- 
penhagen next morning I noticed that the 
docking facilities are excellent and the har- 
bor itself beautiful. We were now pretty 
well north, and the mornings were quite 
cold. 

Copenhagen gained some notoriety a few 
years ago by presenting Dr. Cook a degree 
for finding the North Pole. Having been 
in Copenhagen, it is not surprising to me 

that the Danes took up Dr. Cook, for they 

10 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

are a most honest and unsuspecting people. 
Every face on the street is an open book. 

Copenhagen is a center of modern culture, 
and art has been patronized here since the 
seventeenth century. And while I am on the 
subject, I may as well say that the most in- 
teresting thing to me in the city was the 
Thorwaldsen sculptures. Thorwaldsen was 
born here in 1770. When he was twenty- 
seven years old he went to Rome as a fellow 
of the Academy of Copenhagen, and worked 
there for forty years. The work of the 
Italian sculptors is so perfect in its artistic 
finesse that you do not feel a humanizing in- 
fluence. The Thorwaldsen sculpture is per- 
fect in its technique, but he has also humanly 
idealized it. In the church of the Vor-Frue- 
Kirke (church of our lady) are twelve 

sculptured figures of the Apostles by Thor- 

11 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

waldsen, much more than life-size. His 
wonderful Christus stands back of the altar. 
These figures are all the decoration there is 
in this church, but the effect is so unusually 
striking, and withal so appropriate, that I 
wonder more churches do not adopt this 
simple, effective style of ornamentation. I 
felt such elevation of soul, such enthusiasm 
and exhilaration in the presence of Thor- 
waldsen's work, that I do not hesitate to say 
it is worth a trip to Copenhagen just to see 
and know his art. 

We stopped at the Angleterre Hotel, 
which is located on the Kongens-Nytorv. 
Late one afternoon, as I was sitting at the 
window of the reading room, there appeared 
on the street in front of me a huge figure, 
advertising sandals, walking on its hands, 
with its feet up in the air. I seized my cam- 

12 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

era and rushed into the street, but the figure 
had turned into a narrow side street and was 
lost. I thought one would see such an ap- 
parition but once in a life time; but next 
morning, as I was driving down the Amager- 
torv the figure appeared in front of the cab. 
I set my camera quickly, jumped out, and 
ran toward it. When I got within fifteen 
feet I waved for it to stop, and took its pic- 
ture. I was surrounded by an interested 
crowd. I moved up to within ten feet and 
took another picture. I now saw that inside 
the figure was a man in an upright position. 
His smiling eyes were looking at me through 
the two apertures under the word " San- 
dals." The figure continued right down the 
middle of the Amagertorv, threading its 
way in and out among carriages and pe- 
destrians. 

13 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

The National Museum, or glyptothek, con- 
tains a fine collection of sculpture, and is in 
itself an architecturally interesting build- 
ing. The Ny-Carlsberg Glyptothek contains 
a collection of sculpture presented to the 
state by Dr. Carl Jacobsen, a wealthy brewer, 
and his wife. They also endowed the mu- 
seum. The front part of the building was 
erected in 1892. It is a model of its kind for 
sculpture collections, being one story in 
height and somewhat Grecian in style. In 
the center of some of the rooms are sunken 
gardens, containing fountains surrounded 
by rare tropical plants. The specimens of 
sculpture in this building are well worthy of 
note, and they are displayed to excellent ad- 
vantage by the most attractive backgrounds, 
frescoes and spacings. Here a magnificent 
piece of sculpture is given an entire wall and 

14 




The Gateway of Castle Rosenborg, Copenhagen. 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

a suitable background in order to heighten 
its effect. The tourist, footsore and weary 
from tramping the other crowded art gal- 
leries of Europe, will be much gratified with 
the graceful arrangement of art treasures in 
Copenhagen. 

The Rosenborg Palace, in Copenhagen, 
was erected by Christian IV., 1610-25. It 
was occupied by Danish monarchs, who kept 
their jewels, weapons, robes of state and sou- 
venirs here, up to the middle of the eight- 
eenth century. As the sixteenth, seven- 
teenth and eighteenth centuries were replete 
with artistic furnishings and ornaments, the 
castle is most fascinating. The towers are 
beautiful ; the rooms are cozy and homelike. 
Queen Alexandra, of England, and Empress 
Dagmar, of Russia, daughters of Christian 
IX., resided here when they were children, 

15 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

and there are fine portraits of both on the 
walls. I took a picture of the gateway of 
the castle, and also of a company of soldiers 
who were passing. 

The Rathhaus is a very decorative build- 
ing of modern style. The Frederiks-Kirke 
or marble church was begun in 1749, from 
designs made by a French architect ; but it 
was not finished until 1878, and then with 
funds furnished by a private banker. 

While out walking with Doctor one day I 
saw some highly colored aprons for maids, 
in a shop window, worked in a clever em- 
broidery stitch. I insisted on buying them. 
Doctor was equally insistent that I would 
never have use for them. However, I pre- 
vailed, and their quaintly fantastic color- 
ings have been a great pleasure to me ever 
since. I also wished to buy a Danish flag, 

16 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

and asked the clerk where one could be had. 
He replied, „On Kronprinzessin Strasse". 
I asked, " Where is that street?" He ac- 
companied us to the door and then with 
much ceremony said ,"You are earning on 
this street. When you can came no longer, 
you are there." This explanation left much 
to be desired; however, we followed the 
street in blind faith for ten minutes, and 
then found ourselves at Kronprinzessin 
Street, which was an off-shoot of the street 
we were on. 

The Royal Copenhagen ware consists of 
bric-a-hrac and table pieces. It is so beauti- 
ful and fascinating that it is difficult for one 
to leave the shops with enough money to con- 
tinue his journey. 

At noon we left for Elsinore, our purpose 
being to spend a few hours there and then 

17 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

take the ferry across the sound to Helsing- 
borg, Sweden, where we expected to catch a 
night train for Christiania. 

There are difficulties connected with travel- 
ing in a country where you do not speak the 
language. When we alighted in Elsinore, I 
handed my hand baggage to a porter with 
gold letters on his hat, who seemed very glad 
to take it. As we were going to the boat in 
a few hours, I supposed he would take my 
baggage to the vessel. After passing in our 
railroad tickets at the gate, I had a chance 
to look around, but nowhere was that gilt- 
lettered porter to be seen. It suddenly oc- 
curred to me that instead of a boat porter, 
it was one of the hotel variety to whom I had 
handed my baggage, and that he had taken 
it to some hotel. We described the man to 
every official in the station, from the chef 

18 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

de gare down. No one could help us. We 
then took a list of hotels, selected one at 
haphazard and drove there. We guessed 
right the first time, for there in the lobby of 
a nice little Danish hotel, where no English 
was spoken, reposed my baggage. Much to 
the disappointment of the honest porter, I 
ordered it transferred to the boat. 

We then ordered the cabman to drive to 
Hamlet's grave. The route lies through 
Elsinore. Does Elsinore sound familiar 1 It 
was in the castle here that Hamlet, Prince of 
Denmark, lived and soliloquized, and where 
the ghost appeared to him upon the plat- 
form. 

Great oaks of a virgin forest line the road 
leading to Marienlyst. I was plunged at 
once from a realistic, material existence into 
one of romantic musings. In the park 

19 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

grounds of Marienlyst a little white chateau 
nestles close against a hill. From either side 
of the chateau narrow winding and ascend- 
ing paths climb to the summit, which is just 
above the level of the chateau roof. From 
these paths one may catch glimpses of the 
beautiful blue sound, framed between gently 
waving oaks. A quiet melancholy pervades 
the atmosphere, in the spell and presence of 
history. There is a marked sadness in the 
romantic beauty of the scene. 

A mound of stones marks the final resting 
place of Hamlet, and as many sweet-toned 
birds as ever sang in a virgin forest call to 
their mates among the leafy branches above 
his grave. In the distance one can see the 
castle of Elsinore. The place is full of 
haunting witchery, and in imagination one 
can place oneself among the stately courtiers 

20 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

that surrounded Hamlet and Ophelia in the 
far-off thirteenth century. 

Kronborg Castle is situated upon a square 
plat of ground which juts out into the sound. 
It is surrounded by water on three sides, and 
as the waves lap the shore their music is the 
only sound that penetrates the castle. You 
linger here as if drawn by a Lorelei spell, 
and introspection is the mood of the hour. 

Shakespeare played the finest strings on 
the harp of life ; but a poet seeking inspira- 
tion for his songs would surely revel in Elsi- 
nore, whose atmosphere brews just the kind 
of philosophy of which Hamlet is the ex- 
ponent. 

A Danish princess is the present occupant 

of the chateau of Marienlyst. They say that 

she is also melancholy. 

Among historical reminiscences the few 

21 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

hours at Elsinore passed only too quickly, 
and we took the ferry-boat to cross to Hels- 
ingborg, Sweden. I watched Kronborg 
Castle till, gradually fading from sight, its 
green roof and the blue sea mingled in the 
rainbow shades of the setting sun. 

We arrived at Helsingborg about seven in 
the evening, and experienced some delay in 
getting through the custom house. We found 
an excellent hotel and partook of a good 
dinner. A short drive about town revealed 
a pretty Gothic church, and street cars 
painted Copenhagen blue. 

It is a night's ride from Helsingborg to 
Christiania. We had ordered our compart- 
ments in advance, while at Copenhagen. At 
the train, when we applied for them, the 
agent said, Oh, yes, he had received our tele- 
gram, but he was not giving out compart- 

22 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

ments until he knew how many people he 
had to accommodate. As some passengers 
did not arrive until the train was ready to 
pull out, and as others had already retired, 
there was much confusion in apportioning 
apartments, and still more in obtaining 
them. 

After the train started those who had re- 
tired were unceremoniously pulled out of 
their compartments. As many foreign 
tongues as Babylon could have produced, 
were heard in excited protestation against 
this procedure, as the passengers, in their 
dressing gowns, hastily gathered up their 
belongings. Luckily the train was not over- 
crowded, and we were finally allotted a com- 
partment; otherwise we would have had to 
sit up all night, during the long ride to 
Christiania. 

23 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

In the morning a breakfast basket was 
handed into the train, containing choice 
fruit, and assorted sandwiches of eggs, an- 
chovies and ham, also delicious coffee. At 
Scarpsburg we passed a beautiful waterfall, 
surrounded by mills; but the water was 
going to waste over the dam, for the mills 
were silent. There was a strike lockout that 
day that extended all over Norway. Many 
idle men were lounging about the station, 
looking very discontented. 

When we arrived at Christiania it was 
raining in the superlative degree. The ex- 
pression "It rained bucketsful" must have 
been coined in Christiania, for that expresses 
it exactly. It kept on raining all the time we 
were there. 

The victoria cabs here are so muffled up 
with oilcloth coverings to protect their pas- 

24 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

sengers that they lose all semblance of vehi- 
cles of transportation. We got into the cab 
through a flap in the oilcloth covering. There 
are no windows. I was looking out through 
an opening to see if the general locality of 
the hotel was favorable, when I saw in a 
store window some brilliant Norway cos- 
tumes for sale. I said to Doctor, "Stop the 
cab; I must go shopping !" "Jamais de la 
vie!" (Never in your life), he answered. 

The hotel porter met the cab with a huge 
umbrella. The hotel was so crowded, how- 
ever, that we were obliged to drive to an- 
other. The first thing I did after register- 
ing was to go out in that avalanche of rain 
and hunt up the store displaying the Norway 
costumes and purchase them. The children 
that I passed on the street were wearing rub- 
ber mackintoshes reaching to their feet, and 

25 



TEAVEL SKETCHES 

rubber helmet hats like firemen, with long 
extensions in front and rear to protect the 
face and neck from the torrents of rain. 

Christiania, while a dignified and sub- 
stantial capital, is not one of the beautiful 
cities of Europe. Its chief claim to attrac- 
tiveness lies in the Karl Johannes Gade, a 
parked street in the middle of the town, 
with the principal hotels and business houses 
lined up on either side. The university is at 
one end of the Karl Johannes Gade. In 
front of the Opera House, nearby, are two 
atrocious statues of Isben and Bjornsen; at 
the other end of the Karl Johannes Gade are 
the Parliament buildings. 

After doing Christiania we decided to see 
something of the surrounding country. We 
went to a tourist office and bought tickets for 
a three days' circular trip, starting from 

26 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

and returning to Christiania. The trip was 
mostly by carriage which was, of course, 
ordered in advance by the tourist company. 

The following morning, Sunday, July 
23rd, we left Christiania for Sandviken, 
where we took a kalesch and drove to Sund- 
volen, this part of the trip occupying four 
and one-half hours. Sometimes the car- 
riage road runs along the level of the fjord; 
then it rises to quite a height on the moun- 
tain side, while to our right there would be 
a mountain wall of rock a thousand feet 
high, and on our left a deep ravine. 

The fjords are little bodies of water set 
among the mountains, and from what I saw 
of them in a limited time I would say they 
are irregularly sized lakes, with inlets from 
the ocean. 

In the country the houses are built of 

27 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

Norway pine. They are very ornamental in 
appearance and are on the order of Swiss 
chalets. 

It being Sunday, we passed many peasants 
in the national costume going to church. We 
saw a small chalet, on the peak of the roof 
of which was a white board extending the 
length of the house, and on the board was 
painted a phrase of music, in large black 
notes. I wondered if this was not the hum- 
ble abode of some lonesome soul hampered 
by its environment, and yearning for an op- 
portunity to expand in the realm of musical 
art, such as can be found only in far-off 
cities. 

In the valleys the fields are well cultivated 
and appear to be very fertile. Much hay is 
grown, and on every farm one sees row after 
row of upright frames, each two to three 

28 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

hundred yards long, on which the hay is 
placed to dry. In the front door yard of 
every home in the country town there is a 
flag pole, from which floats the beautiful 
Norwegian flag — a patriotic and praise- 
worthy custom. 

At 2:30 p. m. we reached Sundvolen. I 
had stopped the carriage so often to take 
pictures that I thought we would be late to 
dinner ; but the guests were just entering the 
dining-room. I then learned that the din- 
ner hour in Norway is 2:30 p. m., and the 
hour for the evening meal, is at 8 :00 p. m. 
Sundvolen owes its place on the map to its 
hotel and about five houses. 

In the afternoon, after a change of horses 
and carriage, we resumed our drive. We 
met many people in stolkjaerres, which are 
high two-wheeled gigs with an extra seat 

29 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

swung on behind. This vehicle is as severe 
on the uninitiated occupant as an Irish 
jaunting cart. There were also many bicy- 
clists on the road. 

At five o'clock we reached Honefos, a 
place of twenty-three hundred inhabitants. 
There is a beautiful waterfall here which I 
wished to photograph. The time was op- 
portune, for at this hour the sun is back of 
the waterfall, which is spanned by a high 
railroad bridge without a walk for pedes- 
trians. There are many houses alongside 
the fall, with their slanting back yards bor- 
dering upon it. Always ascending, I made 
my way through these backyards, climbing 
over many fences. At one place, near the 
top of the falls I crawled through a barbed 
wire fence and struggled up the last steep 
ascent over sliding rocks to the railroad 

30 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

bridge. I then walked half way across the 
bridge, stepping carefully from one tie to 
another, while the raging cataract below 
threw spray into my face. I took several 
pictures, and returned to the end of the 
bridge without encountering a train. On my 
arrival home I found that not one of the 
pictures was good. 

As we had two hours before the evening 
meal, we wandered out into the garden, 
which is on the bank of the river Baegna. 
The river here is quite swift. Two men in a 
canoe were making their way across the 
rapids and fishing at the same time. It re- 
quired considerable skill to hold their little 
boat against the current while making a 
catch. 

In looking over the hotel register we dis- 
covered that among our fellow guests were 

31 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

travelers from Russia and Norway and suf- 
fragettes from Finland. After each name 
the signer's profession was noted; as "Mr. 
Brown, professor;" "Mr. Green, advokat;" 
"Mr. Black, student;" as the case might be. 

After the evening meal of fish, cold meats 
and a variety of cheeses, we retired to our 
room ; through its windows the musical and 
soothing murmur of the tumbling waterfall 
lulled us to sleep. 

We left for Kongsberg by an early train 
next morning, making short stops at many 
towns on the way. At almost every town 
there is a fascinating waterfall. We arrived 
at Kongsberg the second day about 11 a. m. 
Kongsberg has about fifty-six hundred in- 
habitants and is situated on both banks of 
the Laugen. 

In the neighborhood of Kongsberg are two 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

silver mines, discovered during the reign of 
Christian the IV., in the sixteenth century. 
The mines are now almost worked out, but 
the inhabitants of Kongsberg attach as much 
significance to them as if they were the most 
important thing in Norway, and specimens 
of the ore are kept for sale in the shops. 

The houses in Kongsberg are timber-built. 
There is a church erected in the eighteenth 
century, which is said to be the most famous 
church in Norway. The outside, however, is 
most unattractive. 

For dinner we went to the Grand Hotel. 
The principal dish at dinner in Norway is 
fish, which is caught every day from the 
mountain streams and lakes with which this 
country abounds. There seems to be a dif- 
ferent variety of fish at every hotel, and 
what particularly impressed me is the deli- 

33 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

cious manner in which it is prepared. I did 
not notice a preponderance of butter or 
cracker crumbs. I did not succeed in getting 
any of their recipes, but I do know that 
Norway fish prepared by Norway cooks is 
one of the famous dishes of the world. 

The quaint timber-built country hotels in 
Norway compare favorably with those in 
France. The sleeping rooms are cool, quiet, 
comfortable and scrupulously clean. 

After dinner our carriage, which had been 
ordered in advance, was called out for the 
loading of the baggage. A stolkjaerre also 
stood in the court yard, apparently ready for 
a long drive. It is surprising how much lug- 
gage these small vehicles are capable of 
carrying. 

Our carriage, or kalesch, had two seats, 
facing each other. They were upholstered 

34 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

in brilliant red plush, with carriage trim- 
mings in the same color. In case of rain the 
victoria top is pulled up. The heavy bag- 
gage was strapped on behind, and the 
smaller pieces put inside or up with the 
driver. 

The Norway horses are perfectly fascinat- 
ing. They are small, muscular and hardy, on 
the pony style. Their manes are very long 
and pretty and their eyes are bright and 
intelligent. Considering its small size, it is 
remarkable how much work one of these 
horses can do. We had a very good team 
that afternoon. They pulled the heavy car- 
riage up the hills and mountain sides with- 
out apparent fatigue, and we reached Notod- 
den at seven in the evening. The driver was 
very proud of his horses, and when I took 
a picture of them he requested me to send 

35 



TKAVEL SKETCHES 

him one. It is needless to state that this 
request was complied with as soon as I 
reached home. The next morning the driver 
started back over the mountains, without 
passengers, having a quantity of hay 
strapped behind the kalesch for the use of 
the horses during the journey. 

I noticed that our room in the hotel at 
Notodden was heated and lighted by electric- 
ity. I asked the maid for a key to the room. 
She reported that the key could not be 
found, and that it had been a long time since 
any one had asked for a key to the room. I 
asked her to give me the name of some street 
and shop where I could purchase photo- 
graphs of the town. "Oh," she replied, "our 
streets have no names." 

At Notodden there is a waterfall sixty-five 
feet high, called the Tinfos, the power of 

36 



NOEWAY AND SWEDEN 

which is used to operate several manufactur- 
ing plants situated at its base. Several miles 
above the Tinfos are two other falls, called 
Lienfos and Svaelgf os. A canal, which has 
been in the course of construction for several 
years, extends from Svaelgfos to Notodden. 
The water is led through three conduits, 
making an abrupt descent into the factories. 
Each conduit produces fifteen thousand 
horse power, which is used to generate elec- 
tricity and for manufacturing purposes. 
The company owns and operates a pulp mill 
and lumber mill ; makes pig-iron ; manufac- 
tures saltpetre from the nitrogen of the air ; 
and supplies the city with light and heat, all 
by means of electricity. 

At the office of the factory we met the en- 
gineer who discovered and patented the 
process of making pig-iron by electricity. I 

37 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

asked him how much it cost to build the 
canal. He said it could be sold for seven 
million kronen. I then asked who owns the 
water power in Norway. " Anyone who 
owns the contingent property," he replied. 
" Where did they get the money to build the 
canal?" I inquired. "They made it in the 
factories at Tinfos," he answered. "How 
long have the factories been running?" I 
asked. "About five years," he replied. 
Seven million kronen represents approxi- 
mately two million dollars, accumulated in 
five years, by men still in the prime of life. 
You can figure for yourself the business op- 
portunities afforded by Norway water 
power. 

On the engineer's desk was a photograph 
of the president of the company with his 
family, a cleancut, middle-aged Englishman, 

38 




aLSa^^C* -.;\. 



The Church at Hitterdal, Norway. 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

with a handsome wife and three healthy, fine 
looking children. I afterward saw the fam- 
ily out driving in style. 

The next morning we took a stolkjaerre 
for a twelve-mile ride to the church at Hit- 
terdal. The road lies along the Hitterdals 
vand (lake), which was glimmering in the 
bright morning sun. We had to cling tight 
to the stolkjaerre, and when I jumped off at 
one time to photograph some girls in bright 
costumes on their way to school, I feared the 
vehicle would upset. 

The timber-built church at Hitter dal 
dates from the twelfth century and possesses 
uncommon interest. It has many pointed 
steeples, assembled in a manner of perfect 
symmetry that could only be called artistic. 
High up are six windows, that do not seem 
to be larger than port holes. The interior of 

39 



TEAVEL SKETCHES 

the church is therefore quite dark, like 
churches are supposed to have been, they 
told us, in Solomon's time. Around the 
church runs a low arcade, like a broad eave, 
probably for the protection of the congrega- 
tion when it rains. During service the men 
sit on one side and the women on the other. 
In front of one section of pews there is a 
blackboard, on which people who have 
prayed write their names. In front of an- 
other section is another blackboard, on which 
those write their names who have not prayed. 
The campanile, built of wood and brown 
with age, is very interesting. We were told 
that it is second in renown to the famous 
campanile of St. Marks, Venice. After 
securing photos, we mounted the stolkjaerre 
for the journey back to the hotel for dinner, 
having acquired prodigious appetites the en- 

40 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

tire forenoon in the fresh air, among the 
pines and mountains. In the dining room 
was a long table, after the old fashioned con- 
tinental style. Opposite us sat a comfort- 
able looking individual with an aquiline 
nose. He wore a seal ring and had a semi- 
pious demeanor. His conversation was in 
English and was characterized by cheerful- 
ness and good humor. I mentally classified 
him as a bishop. 

The table was set with edibles, but there 
was no one in attendance to pass them. The 
"Bishop" conversed fluently. He would 
begin a sentence, then get up from his seat, 
and with a few long strides reach the other 
end of the table, where, with a free sweep 
of his arm, as if snatching flies, he would 
encompass a couple of Vienna rolls in his 
palm, and return to his seat before he had 

41 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

reached the end of his magnificent flow of 
Oxfordian diction. Again he would com- 
mence an extemporaneous discourse that 
would have done credit to Mark Antonv, 
and start on an exploring tour in search of 
the coffee urn at the opposite end of the 
table. Then standing easily, with the urn 
poised high in the air, he would gracefully 
pour the coffee, plaintively remarking, "It 
is so humiliating to ask for things and not 
be understood, you know." 

He also had been to visit the church at 
Hitter dal in a stolkjaerre. "When I first 
climbed up in the vehicle," he said, "I 
thought grim death stalked ahead of me ; but 
after a while I rather liked it, you know. 
The problem, however, is how to get out of it, 
because if you lean too heavily to one side 
you turn over the whole show, you know. ' ' 

42 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

I asked him, "What is the population of 
Norway?" He answered, "About four and 
one-half millions of people, of which two 
millions are in the United States." He said 
he saw a funeral that morning. "It is not a 
very lively tale, you know," he continued: 
"they were all at the grave and singing the 
St. Mathew music from Bach. The minister 
and his wife were very plump, you know. 
But such discords I never heard in my life. 
I said to myself, 'If that is the way you sing, 
you poor things, no wonder you are getting 
buried.' " 

Then the long table was filled and con- 
versation became more general. There were 
thirty people at the table and I heard Nor- 
wegian, Russian, German and French 
spoken, but only Doctor, the "Bishop" and 
I spoke English. 

43 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

At 6 :15 that evening we took the steamer 
Henrik Ibsen for Skein. The boat proceeds 
along the picturesque Hitterdals Vand with 
cliffs and hills rising from each shore. The 
twilight deepens by slow degrees, and when 
we reached the wharf at Skein at ten o'clock 
it was full evening. The steamer on this 
course goes through several locks. 

Skein is the birthplace of Henrik Ibsen, 
the dramatist. There is a large theater here. 
The principal industry is the manufacture 
of wood pulp and paper. One mill has nine 
engines, and makes more paper than all 
Norway could use. This paper is shipped to 
China, Africa, the United States and other 
parts of the world. Men laborers in Skein 
get three and one-half to six kronen a day 
and work ten hours. 

Early the next morning we took the train 

44 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

for the return trip to Christiania. The train 
proceeds along the Drammen and Chris- 
tiania Fjords and seems interminably slow; 
but the scenery from the car window is in- 
variably beautiful. Through trains travel 
only at night. It was interesting to watch 
the passengers. When a Norwegian lady 
enters a train, she first locates her bundles, 
then takes an air pillow from a bag and 
blows it up, places it under her head, and 
then settles down to read. 

In the small towns the men raise their 
hats to each other in passing. 

We arrived in Christiania in the after- 
noon, and left the following morning at eight 
for Stockholm, Sweden, arriving there about 
ten o'clock that evening. On this trip the 
train is never out of sight of water ; there are 
placid ponds, lakes, canals, and creeks, but 

45 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

always water. Somebody has said that when 
God made water and afterwards created 
land he forgot Sweden. 

On arriving at Stockholm we went to the 
Grand Hotel. This hostelry at that time 
was everything its name implied. From the 
front windows we looked out upon the lake 
and the illuminated buildings, which pre- 
sented a picture quite similar to that pro- 
duced by the wonderful illuminations at 
Chicago's World's Fair Exposition. Our 
room was quite magnificent; the finest bro- 
caded satin, the best linen and beautiful lace 
were employed in its furnishings. A maid 
in trig attire answered the bell with a court- 
sey. 

As was our custom when visiting an im- 
portant city, we first took a general drive 
around Stockholm in order to locate points 

46 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

of special interest. The city is built on is- 
lands; there are twelve hundred and sixty 
of them in the Malar Lake. Much of the 
transportation is by feriy-boats. We did 
not understand the Swedish language, but it 
did not interfere with our pleasure. We 
would board one of the little ferries, not 
knowing its destination, get off when it 
reached a dock, and board a second ferry 

boat which would land at a third dock. We 
clattered on and off the boats, shouting with 
laughter, because we had not the slightest 
idea where our little journey would termi- 
nate. The nattily costumed boat officials 
seemed aware of our venture, but they re- 
frained from the slightest smile. On the 
street cars we would say in one breath, 
"Combien<?" "Wie viel?" and "How 
much?" If none of these languages proved 

47 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

effective, we would hold out a few small 
coins, from which the conductor would gen- 
erally select ten ore. 

In the Art Gallery there are several fine 
Rembrandts ; but pictures by Swedish paint- 
ers are excellent and they constitute a very 
fine collection. 

In the Northern Museum there is as- 
sembled a collection of furniture and cos- 
tumes belonging to different phases of Swed- 
ish life that does great credit to its founder, 
Dr. Hazlius. On the first floor there is a 
magnificent sweep of rooms with booths ar- 
ranged along the wall, fitted up as living 
rooms with peasant furniture, pottery, bric- 
a-brac and various utensils, all showing the 
customs of the period. It is extremely in- 
teresting to observe how the peasants, with 
a few bright, strong colors, decorated their 

48 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

walls and their furniture, producing very 
striking effects. 

The display on the second floor illustrates 
the customs and surroundings of a thriftier 
class of people. Here the furniture is ma- 
hogany and the costumes more simple. On 
the third floor are the royal rooms. 

The whole collection is a liberal education. 
It contains a vast amount of material which 
the average tourist would otherwise have to 
travel many miles and spend hours of re- 
search in order to discover. Were it not for 
Dr. Hazlius' work, these things would soon 
pass out of the memory of man, as Sweden, 
along with the rest of Europe, is being 
rapidly modernized. The collection is housed 
in a building with many gables in imitation 
of sixteenth century architecture. The roof 
reminded me of the Chateau Chambord, the 

49 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

Cathedral of Caen, in France, and Castle 
Rosenborg in Copenhagen. 

In the evening we went to visit Skansen, a 
park of seventy acres, containing rocky hills, 
lakes, pastures and fields; also an Eskimo 
village, with huts, dog sleds and Eskimo 
dogs. There is also a good collection of 
moose, elks, reindeer and other objects of in- 
terest. About eight o'clock in the evening, 
at the sound of a bugle, picturesque maidens, 
dressed in their national costumes, assemble 
from the various chalets in the park and 
dance the folk dances upon a raised plat- 
form in the center of a beautiful green 
sward, to the music of three musicians. 

Never will I forget those musicians. They 
were supposed to represent the three musi- 
cians in a famous painting returning home 
on foot in the early morning from a country 

50 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

dance. One wore a long white flannel coat, 
white stockings, and pumps, and played an 
instrument shaped like a whale. Another 
wore a red and blue knitted cap with a long 
tassel. 

The music commenced; the procession 
started, and the merry troupe in brilliant 
neck shawls, dainty caps, tidy aprons and 
pretty dancing shoes, fluttered along to the 
platform. Then these youthful spirits, ar- 
rayed in this revel of color, began the dance. 
After watching them for some time, I ar- 
rived at the conclusion that all of the cotil- 
lion figures of the present day are derived 
from the folk dances. These are far more 
interesting than the waltz and two-step, 
though not so personal. 

One-half the dancers withdrew from the 
others, thus forming two equal divisions. 

51 



TEAVEL SKETCHES 

On one side the couples joined hands and 
formed a London bridge figure; then the 
first couple took the lead, and the others fol- 
lowed, all dropping their hands, dancing 
under the bridge and forming a new bridge 
at the other end. While this figure was re- 
peated several times, the other division of 
dancers was executing a beautiful wheel 
figure. 

Many beautiful peasant costumes may be 
seen on the streets and in the parks. Stock- 
holm is the only European city of impor- 
tance where the custom of wearing them is 
encouraged. 

Among the magnificent public buildings in 
Stockholm should be mentioned the House 
of Parliament, the Royal Theater, the 
Opera House, and the Central Museum of 
Biology. There are beautiful parks, gardens 

52 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 

and monuments. With its style, grace, reg- 
ularity and cleanliness Stockholm is one of 
the most restful and agreeable of the Euro- 
pean capitals. Both the city and the people 
make an excellent impression on the for- 
eigner. 

On extremely hot days, when the ther- 
mometer registers ninety or one hundred in 
the heart of the city, a mild and pleasant 
temperature may be found in the parks, 
within twelve minutes walk. In these parks 
the landscape gardening is developed to per- 
fection, and they are decorated with unique 
bronze fountains. The trees are old spread- 
ing oaks and elms, and there are a great 
variety of beautiful plants. I saw ribbon 
grass, which with us is used for decorative 

53 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

centers of vases, growing as high as a tree, 
and a fine variety of fern equally high. 

In Stockholm the cost of living is very 
high and they import more than they export. 



54 



CHAPTER II. 

Russia and Austria. 

While in Stockholm, we decided one morn- 
ing to start for Russia that day. We went 
to the boat office, and were told a vessel 
would leave that evening, but that all ac- 
commodations were sold out. However, the 
clerk added, perhaps some official of the 
boat would give up his room for sufficient 
compensation. We went to the dock where 
the boat lay, and a man with a gilt lettered 
cap was brought forward by an official. This 
man said he was the chief engineer, and 

55 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

would give up his room for a consideration. 
We requested to see the room, and leading 
the way he began to descend from one deck 
to another. After going down three decks 
we found ourselves in the machinery room. 
He opened the door of a little inside room 
opposite the engine. The ceiling was very 
low and the berth a sort of shelf. We 
thanked the engineer but politely declined 
the accommodation. The boat was to leave 
at eight in the evening, and about fifteen 
minutes before starting time some one re- 
leased a first-class room, which we secured. 

The sailors were just about to pull in the 
gang plank when an automobile dashed up 
on the wharf. Its two passengers, together 
with a basket trunk, a carryall, four tele- 
scopes, a satchel, a basket of fruit, an armful 

56 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

of roses and four other parcels were taken 
aboard, and we were off for Russia. 

The boat proceeded northward along the 
shore of the Malar Lake. For miles and 
miles the beautiful summer homes of the 
people of Stockholm dot the shore, which is 
indented by rocky coves, and softened with a 
variety of natural scenery and verdure. 

While on the map the trip from Stock- 
holm looks like a long one on an open sea, 
it is really not so ; for nearly all the way the 
boat travels in a protected sea sheltered by 
numerous islands. It is one of the most 
delightful cruises in the world. The sea is 
never rough in July and August, and I think 
the Captain said that at certain seasons of 
the year there are only four hours of dark- 
ness at night. 

About three o 'clock on Sunday afternoon, 

57 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

after three days and two nights of sailing, 
we approached Helsingfors, Finland. The 
golden domes of a church situated upon a 
high elevation shone out for miles over the 
sound. We thought we were coming into 
Russia. Finding that we would have several 
hours on land, Doctor went to the captain to 
have some travellers' cheques changed into 
Finnish money. But the Captain said, "Oh, 
that is all right, I will give you all the money 
you want to spend and we will settle when 
we reach Petrograd. ' ' Thereupon he opened 
a drawer and invited Doctor to take what 
money he needed, not even making a memo- 
randum of it. 

A drive of several hours around Helsing- 
fors proved very interesting. A large part 
of the population, in their Sunday clothes, 
were on the streets and in the parks. If I 

58 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

may be allowed the observation, judging 
from the appearance of the people there is 
no upper or lower class. The grade seemed 
to be rather invariable, and all belong to the 
middle class. 

While the architecture of the churches in 
Helsingfors is of the brilliant Russian style 
and coloring, that of the other public build- 
ings is more forcible than artistic. 

In Finland the suffrage movement origi- 
nated very early, and I understand that a 
woman will drop anything she is doing to go 
campaigning and make stump speeches. 
However, I did not see any men promenad- 
ing in the parks with frock coats minus but- 
tons, though the ladies I saw were distin- 
guished by force rather than by beauty and 
grace. 

Again we took the boat, and by noon the 

59 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

next day we were nearing Petrograd. The 
approach is magnificent. All along the banks 
of the canal are large boats heavily loaded 
with lumber, grain and other cargoes rep- 
resenting great industry and immense 
shipping. But above all the marts of trade 
shine out the golden domes of Petrograd, 
sparkling in the noon day sun. 

Just before our boat docked it was boarded 
by several sharp looking inspectors in pre- 
tentious official costumes, for the purpose of 
examining passports. They were tall, had 
hooked noses, and wore long gray military 
overcoats. They seated themselves at a table 
at one end of the dining room, and the pas- 
sengers were lined up and instructed to pass 
the table and have their passports inspected. 
So precise was the scrutiny administered to 
each document that, although Doctor was 

60 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

third in line, it was an hour before we got 
off the boat. Meanwhile I walked up and 
down the deck and viewed the city. I 
noticed that the streets in this district were 
dirty like our ghettoes. The houses are tall 
and elongated, and the windows are slant- 
eyed. 

After going through the custom house we 
looked about for a cab. The cab drivers were 
clamoring, gesticulating and fighting. It 
was all the same thing to us, for we did not 
understand a word of Russian. We loaded 
our things on a cab and gave the driver the 
name of a hotel. He nodded, and then 
promptly drove to another hotel. It looked 
all right, so we simply put up there. As soon 
as we had selected a room our passport was 
immediately demanded and sent to the chief 
of police. The clerk said it would be re- 

61 



TEAVEL SKETCHES 

turned to us when we were leaving. We now 
felt as if we were under the constant surveil- 
lance of the police. On being conducted to 
our room, we found it was being cleaned by 
a house man wearing boots reaching to the 
knees and a red cotton Russian blouse. 

Among our baggage was a steamer trunk, 
upon the top of which was painted, in large 
letters, my maiden name. I ought to have 
purchased a new one before starting ; but a 
trunk you know, is such a friend ; it shelters 
your souvenirs and protects your valuables ; 
it withstands the storms and tempests of 
travel while sustaining many a hard knock. 
When you open it all the corners are famil- 
iar ones, and you pack your things without 
any loss of nerve energy or waste of time in 
solving new inventions. Well, when we left 
our room and started down stairs the halls 

62 



KUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

seemed quiet. But suddenly and unexpect- 
edly a red-bloused man would appear in a 
doorway or at the end of a passage, and eye 
us suspiciously. When we reached the office 
the clerk halted us and said to me, "What 
is your name?" I told him. "That is not 
the name on your trunk, ' ' he replied. ' l What 
is your first name?" I gave it. "Very 
well," he said, "As that corresponds to your 
passport I suppose it is all right." 

Before leaving America I had visited the 
Russian Consul and asked him what liberties 
I would have in Russia to take photographs. 
He replied that he was unable to give defi- 
nite information on that subject, as the 
police regulations were constantly changing, 
and I would better visit the American Con- 
sul in Petrograd on my arrival. So we 

63 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

called a cab and told the man to drive us to 
the American Consulate. 

On entering the Consulate the atmosphere 
changed at once, becoming breezy and 
American. The Consul wrote the custom- 
ary letter to the chief of police, requesting 
that I be allowed to take photographs in 
Petrograd. There are many restrictions in 
Russia in regard to photography. Eor in- 
stance, photographs cannot be taken of 
marching soldiers, or of any of the fortifica- 
tions. Severe penalties are imposed for 
breaking the rules. 

A traveler in Petrograd naturally visits 
St. Isaac's Cathedral first, because it is the 
most important church there. It is built in 
the form of a Greek cross, and is surmounted 
by a dome more beautiful than that on the 
capitol at Washington, or the one that 

64 




re 



o 



Q. 



3 
</) 

DC 



o 

3 

O 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

crowns des Invalides in Paris. On entering 
the church one gets the impression that this 
great building is lined with solid gold. 
Velvet toned pillars of malachite and lapis 
lazuli decorate the interior, and immense 
solitaire jewels shine out of the crowns of 
the ikons. The ikon, which is made to repre- 
sent a saint, is the principal decoration in 
Russian churches. Life-sized ikons line the 
walls of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The head 
drapery and garments are made of gilded 
silver. 

More individually Russian is the Church 
of the Memorial, erected on the spot where 
Alexander the II. was assassinated. The 
exact location of the assassination is covered 
by a handsome tomb, inside the church. It 
is also called the Church of the Expiation, 
and is surmounted by many Muscovite 

65 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

domes. Upon the interior walls are pictures 
done in Russian mosaics, representing the 
life of Christ. One of the most striking 
portrays the scene in which Christ is taken 
from the cross. There are only three figures 
in this picture. In the background the 
mosaics take the red, rose and pale gold 
tints of the setting sun. In the foreground 
the golden halo around the head of the re- 
clining Christus shines dimly. In two other 
holy pictures the drapery is made of solid 
seed-pearls. The screen in front of the 
altar is surmounted by three crosses two feet 
high, made of large solitaire topazes that 
gleam from afar. These stones are called 
Russian diamonds. The golden domes on 
the churches are regilded in three-ply gold 
leaf once a year, at enormous expense. 
The Hermitage, which was originally a 

66 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

palace built by Catherine II. as a retreat 
from the cares of state, is now an art gal- 
lery. There are forty rooms devoted to 
paintings. In the collection are many paint- 
ings of the old masters— Murillo, Rem- 
brandt, Van Dyke, Rubens and other famous 
artists. These pictures were assembled by 
Catherine II., and her successors, with that 
magnificent disregard of expenditure which 
characterizes the Russian government when 
it sets out to obtain something really fine. 
This collection is well arranged, and has no 
superior in the world. 

One room in the Hermitage is reserved 
for the jewels and personal effects of royalty 
when not in use. Every party entering the 
room must be accompanied by a guide, and 
the number of persons allowed in the room 
at one time is limited. Among other jewels 

67 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

kept here is a replica of the coronation 
crown; and a number of royal watch fobs. 
These fobs are approximately eight inches 
long and two inches wide. In the center, 
extending lengthwise, are three rubies, large 
as lima beans, and the intermediate spaces 
and ground work of the fobs are set solidly 
with diamonds. Standing upright on the 
four corners of a small gold clock are bou- 
quets of flowers, worked in jewels. There 
are ornaments for the hair made in bouquets 
of flowers, representing daisies, geraniums 
and foliage. The white leaves of the daisy 
are set solidly in diamonds, and the center 
of the flower is cut gold. The geraniums are 
made of rubies, the green leaves of em- 
eralds. Each flower is strung on a wire, and 
the wires are gathered together to make a 
bouquet. In glass show cases are prayer- 

68 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

book covers and jewel boxes made of solid 
gold and ornamented with large solitaire 
jewels. There is a set of harness, and saddle 
covers, inlaid with gold and brilliantly 
jeweled; and bridles with gold rosettes set 
with solitaire diamonds. 

The Winter Palace of the Czar is not far 
from the Hermitage Gallery, and is a very 
important building. It is painted a homely 
brick red, a very popular color in Petrograd, 
and used indiscriminately. The interior of 
the palace is most interesting, because the 
rulers have impressed upon its decoration 
and furnishing their forceful personalities 
and tastes, and because that expression has 
taken the form of elegant, artistic simplic- 
ity. In the white marble throne room is a 
colonnade of white Italian marble pillars. 
In the ball room are crystal chandeliers con- 

69 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

taining twenty thousand candles, which are 
lighted by means of an inflammable cord 
running from wick to wick. After each 
lighting a new cord has to be adjusted. 

While passing through the ball room I 
saw six Russian servant boys polishing the 
floor. They stood in line and rather close 
together. Woolen pads or mats were fas- 
tened to the soles of their shoes. Each boy 
at the same moment pushed his right foot 
forward and then drew it back to line again, 
and thus the immense space of that ball- 
room floor was polished by that human ma- 
chine. I never saw such tired looking serv- 
ants. Their rooms are not far from the ball- 
room, and are near the private apartments. 
They are small and dark, and twenty-five 
dollars would cover the cost of all the f urni- 

70 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

ture in them. That is always the other side 
of the picture in Russia. 

In a rectangular picture gallery hang 
paintings of many Russian war heroes. At 
one end of this gallery there is a magnificant 
painting of Alexander I., seated upon a 
prancing white charger. 

The apartments of Alexander II. are un- 
disturbed. The sixty copecks he had in his 
pockets when he was killed lie upon his 
library table with his pocket-knife and a 
half smoked cigarette. His hair brush, yel- 
low with age and costing not more than a 
dollar, is there. Upon the table is a small 
Christmas tree, about ten inches high, a gift 
from the Czarina. It is made of silver, and 
is hung with a few medallion portraits of the 
members of the Czar's family. The family 
photographs standing upon the book case 

71 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

might be the old fashioned photos of any- 
family. The state bed chambers are next to 
the library, but they were not occupied by 
the Czar. He slept on a small camp cot in 
his library, because he was there more in- 
accessible to bombs. The cot was placed in 
a remote corner of the room, behind two 
large marble pillars, which completely con- 
cealed it. 

The winter garden, under a glass roof, is 
filled with a rare collection of tropical plants 
and is most interesting. 

One side of the palace fronts a street that 
lies along the river Neva. It was formerly 
the custom for the Czar to hold a public 
reception on New Years Day, and at these 
functions twenty thousand people were 
sometimes received. On one of these occa- 
sions, however, a bomb was thrown into the 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

midst of the crowd on the staircase about to 
enter the palace, killing nearly one hundred 
people. After that the receptions were dis- 
continued and the Czar seldom occupies the 
Winter Palace. 

The National Art Gallery is architectur- 
ally interesting. It is situated in a park 
where the landscape gardening relieves the 
severity of the building itself. The collec- 
tion assembled here represents the art of all 
countries, but the pictures that most im- 
pressed me were those of the Russian artists. 
They have great scope; and when I recall 
them I think of the tall Russian people, their 
great high buildings, the mighty Russian 
Empire, the stretch of their agricultural 
fields, the vast spaces of Siberia, the minor 
strains of the Tschaikovsky music, the la- 
ment of their folk songs. Their art has a 

73 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

breadth and caliber proportionate to all 
these things. There are here some of the 
sea scenes which were on exhibition at the 
Chicago World's Fair in 1893, and a collec- 
tion of Munkacsy pictures, some of which 
have been exhibited in America. 

On the opposite side of the Neva from the 
"Winter Palace is the Fortress Church, 
where, in tombs characterized by refined 
simplicity, are buried Catherine the Great, 
Peter the Great, Alexander the I., Alex- 
ander the II., and many others of the royal 
family. The church is hung with silver 
wreaths and has an atmosphere of elegant 
restfulness. 

The affection of the Russian people for 
the memory of Peter the Great impresses 
the tourist. When the guides or the people 
speak of him they never say "Czar Peter 



uL gXXy \J/Ji\,± X CICi 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

or "Peter the Great"; they simply say 
"Peter". 

Petrograd was founded by Peter in 1712. 
It was built on a low waste area, and en- 
riched with many handsome structures. 
Succeeding rulers, especially Catherine the 
Great, continued his policy of augmenting 
the importance of the city. Peter's first 
house in Petrograd stands not far from the 
Fortress Church of Peter and Paul. It is 
constructed of timbers, has four rooms, and 
was built in two weeks by his ministers, dur- 
ing his absence from the city. The house is 
now enclosed by walls. In the front room, 
which was the library, are still to be seen the 
tables and chairs that Peter used. The 
kitchen was built separately, a little distance 
from the house. Why the Czarina should 
have done her own cooking is not quite clear ; 

75 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

but the story goes that she went forth 
through the snow to the kitchen in the 
winter to prepare the meals, and back again 
to the house to serve them. 

At a later date Peter lived in a charming 
little one-story palace at Peterhof . In the 
kitchen of this palace there is some old blue 
tiling and other evidences of his stay in Hol- 
land, where he went to learn ship building. 

The great scope of Peter's accomplish- 
ments and the simple, humble manner in 
which he lived form a striking contrast. 

Peterhof is the summer palace of the 
Czars. It is distant from Petrograd, I 
should judge, about eighteen miles, or one 
hour's ride. 

On alighting at the station our guide hired 
a carriage to take us to the palace. We 
drove through the park, along lagoons whose 

76 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

banks are dotted with small fairy palaces. 
The large palace, the summer residence of 
the Czar, is near the seashore. Beautiful 
views of the sea may be had from one side, 
while from the opposite side may be seen a 
terrace, upon which are magnificant tiers of 
fountains. I counted eighty-one jets of 
water from these fountains. 

The interior of the palace represents the 
finished, elegant simplicity that is character- 
istic of French decoration. The rooms are 
upholstered and decorated with the most 
delicate satins. The reception room is in 
white brocade; the salon in delicate blue 
satin, and the dining room in red. The mer- 
chant 's room is decorated in gorgeous, glit- 
tering, heavy gold, and has a private en- 
trance. It was used by Catherine the Great 
to receive her merchant friends who brought 

77 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

rich gifts to engage her favor. This glitter 
of gold probably was pleasing to the mer- 
chants, and as Catherine had a fondness for 
valuable gifts, she arranged the decorations 
to suit the merchants. The vain pompous- 
ness of this room is most amusing in con- 
trast to the elegant simplicity of the other 
apartments. 

In this palace there is a remarkable art 
collection, founded by Catherine the Great, 
composed of portraits of Russian peasant 
girls in national costumes. Outside of this 
gallery there are very few pictures on the 
walls. The chandeliers in all the rooms are 
of fine porcelain. 

On leaving the palace we drove through 
the park. It is expressly forbidden to take 
photographs of the palace or grounds. The 
present Czar lives in a palace near Peterhof . 

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He does not go to the city often, through 
fear, I suppose, of persons with evil intent. 
Consequently, it is desirable to keep the plan 
of these grounds as secret as possible. It is 
said that when the Czar visits Petrograd he 
often goes by sea in a motor boat ; for thus 
it would be easy to discern if he were being 
followed. 

Peterhof and the palaces near it are very 
closely guarded by Cossacks. There is a 
saying that Cossacks around these palaces 
are as thick as the trees. The fountains in 
the park were so beautiful that I decided to 
risk any penalty in order to get a picture of 
them. We were I should think about a 
quarter of a mile away from the palace. A 
gendarme was on duty, pacing up and down 
the terrace which commanded a view of our 
carriage. I had my camera concealed under 

79 



TEAVEL SKETCHES 

my wraps. I instructed the cabman to stop 
the carriage near the fountains, where I 
would have the sun back of me. When the 
gendarme turned his back toward us, I rose 
quickly, snapped a picture, and as quickly 
sat down to conceal the camera. It all had 
to be done so rapidly that I did not know 
whether I had the right position, and there 
was no time to duplicate the picture. When 
our carriage passed through the gate to leave 
the grounds the same gendarme was on duty 
there. He looked at me with anger. I think 
he had made up his mind to watch people 
more closely in the future, and I had made up 
mine to never take such a chance again. 
When I arrived home and had the pictures 
developed, they were all very good. 

We got back to Petrograd at seven o'clock 
in the evening, and complained to the guide 

80 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

that thus far we had not found a good res- 
taurant. He directed us to a French restau- 
rant in a street that runs along the side of an 
uninviting canal. We found the tables in 
a pretty garden, laid out after the style of 
the summer gardens and theaters in the 
Champs Elysees. The head waiter, who now 
approached us, was quite a French grandee 
in style and manner. Doctor suddenly dis- 
covered that owing to the extravagance of 
our guide he had but little change left in his 
pockets. He said to the head waiter, "Do 
you cash American Express cheques here?" 
The waiter did not hesitate a moment. With 
level gaze and a very polite bow he replied, 
"No, we do not; but Monsieur may dine to- 
night and pay tomorrow. ' ' We accepted the 
offer. The dinner was a dollar and a half 
a plate without wine or mineral water. 

81 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

The splendid repast finished, we tarried a 
few minutes to enjoy the music and watch 
the interesting crowd, composed of upper 
class Russians and foreigners. We then ap- 
proached the head waiter and asked him to 
allow one of the small boys to go with us to 
the hotel and bring back the money for the 
dinners. Still imperturbably polite, he sug- 
gested that we send it the next day. We, 
however, hastened back to the hotel, got a 
check cashed, and then Doctor returned to 
the restaurant and paid the bill, while the 
waiter protested that this was quite unneces- 
sary. 

The cabs and cab drivers of Petrograd are 
strikingly interesting. The Russian cab, 
called a drosky, is a light victoria, about 
large enough to seat one person comfortably. 
Consequently when two large Americans 

82 




A Drosky Driver. 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

occupy the same drosky they must hold on to 
each other and to the cab in order to main- 
tain their equilibrium. The drivers are 
peasants from the interior. Their honest 
faces have the clear color of vigorous health 
and beam with good humor. Their blue uni- 
forms, even in August, are padded with pil- 
lows, to convey the idea that the employer is 
prosperous and his driver fat and well cared 
for. We would say the uniforms are stuffed ; 
but I noticed the guide said they were 
" stopped up" with pillows. The drivers 
race along the street at a three-minute gait, 
and their beautiful jet black Orloff horses 
flecked with foam present a most exhilarat- 
ing spectacle. Among the thousands of cabs 
on the street, many going at top speed, I 
never saw an accident. 

I had great fun taking photographs of the 

83 



TEAVEL SKETCHES 

droskies and their drivers. I secured a posi- 
tion in the rear of one broad-backed driver 
and took careful aim, so as to be sure and 
get all of his width into the picture. He had 
not the slightest idea of what was going on, 
but there was a line of droskies behind him, 
and their drivers were doubled up with 
laughter. I came upon another driver who 
was sitting perfectly upright on his box, but 
sound asleep. Just as I snapped the camera, 
he woke up and began to rub his eyes. 

We left Petrograd by a night train for 
Moscow. The ride is rather comfortable, 
and the train arrives at Moscow at a con- 
venient hour in the morning. Luckily we 
had a better hotel at Moscow than we did at 
Petrograd, and did not have to look for a 
restaurant for every meal. 

The first thing we did was to try and find 

84 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

a guide. The hotel porter said it would be very 
difficult to get one, because there was a large 
tourist party in the city, and because many 
private parties visit Moscow at this time of 
the year, and all the guides are engaged. He 
had many indefinite excuses. We afterward 
learned that this particular porter paid the 
hotel one hundred and fifty dollars per 
month to hold his position and that the posi- 
tion is worth fifteen thousand dollars a year 
in tips. We got a very good guide from an- 
other hotel. 

The guide first took us to the Kremlin, 
which is the citadel or fortress in the center 
of modern Moscow. It is two miles around 
the walls, which are from thirty to fifty feet 
high. They are surmounted by nine artistic 
towers, and the entrances are through five 
gates remarkable for their beauty. Within 

85 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

the Kremlin are churches, monasteries, law 
courts and a palace which the Czar occupies 
when visiting Moscow. Peter the Great 
moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to 
St. Petersburg, now Petrograd, in 1712. 

As we were about to pass through a gate 
into the Kremlin I noticed a shrine in the 
wall fronting the street. The shrine con- 
tained various holy pictures, and was filled 
with a crowd of travel-stained, distressed 
looking pilgrims, who had come from a great 
distance to worship there. They were kiss- 
ing the feet of the ikon and prostrating 
themselves on the floor of the shrine in com- 
plete subjection and humiliation. Many of 
them had sat on the steps all night, waiting 
for the doors of the shrine to open. They 
looked very poor and as if they were craving 
spiritual comfort. 

86 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

Inside the Kremlin we first visited the 
church of the Assumption where the Czars 
are crowned. They are baptized in the 
church of the Ascension, and up to the time 
of Peter the Great they were buried in the 
church of St. Michael, the archangel. 

The principal decorations in all of these 
churches are ikons made of gilded silver and 
heavily ornamented with jewels. It hap- 
pened to be the Feast Day of St. Mary of 
Magdalen, and we hastened to the church of 
St. Sauveur to be present at the full service. 
This church was built to commemorate the 
expulsion of the French from Moscow, and 
the service here on high feast days is most 
impressive. It began shortly after ten 
o'clock, and was conducted by three priests 
in heavy gold robes. One of them chanted in 
a deep, resonant voice from the altar, and 

87 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

was answered by a remarkable choir, sta- 
tioned in stalls on either side of the altar. 
The choir boys wore handsome uniforms of 
black, with red vests and sleeves and white 
surplices edged with gold. 

Presently the choir left its place by the 
altar and marched among the standing con- 
gregation to the center of the church. Then 
began the anthem part of the service. With 
clear tones the sopranos rang out, followed 
by the boy tenors with flute-like voices and 
the contraltos in tones of a mellow cello; 
then came the deep bass voices of the men. 
This unison rose and fell in pure harmony, 
like the waves of a sustained sound of a 
great organ, producing the most beautiful 
melodies that echoed through the vaulted 
nave, and creating in the participant of the 
service an impressive emotion of spiritual- 

88 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

ity. The choir of St. Sauveur is well worth 
going to Europe to hear, even if one had to 
return by the first boat. 

After the service we walked to the Church 
of the Assumption in the Kremlin. In front 
of the church was a line of stacked guns. 
Many soldiers and all the people coming out 
of the church were running to the Kremlin 
walls, which overlook the river. We asked 
the guide the cause. He replied that a cele- 
bration in honor of the Feast Day had been 
arranged to take place immediately after 
the service. The celebration began by the 
firing of eight cannons, mounted in a tower, 
which faced the river. One hundred and one 
guns were fired in rapid succession. The 
large bell weighing forty-four thousand 
tons, and thirty-three smaller ones were 
ringing at the same time. With the boom- 

89 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

ing of the guns, together with the jingle and 
clanging of the bells, one could fairly see the 
French retreating in the war of 1812. 

The old palace was burned in 1812, along 
with many other public and private build- 
ings. We visited the new palace in the aft- 
ernoon. It contains many souvenirs of Na- 
poleon, and is quite modern. 

The architecture of the monastery, also 
inside the Kremlin, was attractively Rus- 
sian. Ranged along the base of the arsenal 
buildings are four hundred cannons taken 
from Napoleon. In the middle of the open 
space between the arsenal and the law courts 
is a cross marking the exact spot where 
Grand Duke Sergius was assassinated, in 
1905. 

One of the most important things outside 
the Kremlin walls is the Church of St. Basil, 

90 




The Church of St. Basil, Moscow. 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

built in 1554, on the Place Rouge, by Ivan 
the IV., to commemorate the victory of Ka- 
zan. It is of the gorgeous Russian style of 
architecture, and kaleidoscopic in coloring. 
There is a legend to the effect that Ivan the 
IV. was so pleased with this church that he 
had the eyes of the Italian architect who 
built it put out, so it could not be duplicated. 
Its wonderful domes surmount a series of 
towers. The chapels in the towers are con- 
nected by dark and narrow passageways. In 
order to get a picture of the church I had to 
struggle up a sandy embankment twenty- 
five or thirty feet high. Sand and stones 
slipped from under my feet. On reaching 
the summit I found myself above the top of 
a small tree which shows in the picture ; then 
by hanging on to the branches of another 

91 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

tree I sustained myself while photographing 
the church. 

. Opposite the Church of St. Basil, on the 
Place Rouge, is a modern department store 
containing one thousand shops. In exca- 
vating for the building the workmen took 
out two hundred wagon loads of bones. On 
the other side of the Place Rouge is a gov- 
ernment building, of that same awful red as 
the palace in Petrograd. 

Catherine the Great founded a university 
in Moscow. There is an orphan asylum 
which receives twelve thousand children a 
year. 

One morning we went shopping in the 
modern part of Moscow, for the necessities 
we had left behind us in various hotels — 
here a razor strap, there a pair of rubbers, 
then an umbrella, until our path through 

92 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

Europe could have been traced by the things 
we left behind. 

Near our hotel was a clean, modern busi- 
ness street, with a fine commission fruit 
market on one side and shops on the other. 
And right out in the middle of the street was 
a pretty little white church, with gold domes 
and steeple, the church of Friday Prosko- 
vie, named after a saint. 

One afternoon when walking by this 
church I saw a handsomely ornamented 
coach with four beautiful white horses 
standing there. The coach was lined with 
white satin. There were two footmen on 
the box in tan livery. It was very warm, and 
the equipage was drawn up into a niche of 
the road where it was in complete shade. I 
told the guide to offer the coachman money 
and ask him to swing the team and coach 

93 



TEAVEL SKETCHES 

into the sunshine, where I could photograph 
them. The guide said that he would not 
dare to offer him money or attempt to inter- 
fere with his plans, for the daughter of the 
curate was being married inside the church 
while a gold crown was being held over her 
head. He further said that the magnificent 
equipage was not private, but had been hired 
from a neighboring stable. An impulse came 
to me to seize the bridle and lead the horses 
out into the sun, where I could photograph 
them ; but as the infringement of law or cus- 
tom is severely punished in Russia, I decid- 
ed to take no chances. 

One afternoon about four thirty we took a 
rambling street car for Sparrow Hills, to 
see the sun set on Moscow. The ride through 
the suburbs was full of interest. Arriving 
at the end of the line, we left the car for 

94 



EUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

quite a walk to the summit of the hill. I was 
walking in the middle of the sandy road. 
Suddenly around a turn in the road there 
appeared a Cossack, mounted on a splendid 
black horse. He wore a long royal blue coat 
and a typical turban of black and red. I 
was right in position, with the sun back of 
me, to get a good picture. I raised my cam- 
era, and then it occurred to me that it is 
against the law in Russia to photograph the 
military. My camera dropped to my side, 
and the single horseman passed nonchal- 
antly by. 

At the summit of the hill there is a cafe, 
in which a company of peasants were sing- 
ing folk-songs. These songs generally ended 
in a lamenting minor note. I think there 
are many unsolved problems in the hearts 
of the Russian peasants. 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

Down the side of the hill the grass was 
velvet green, and it spread across the plain 
in front of us to the walls of the Novo-Die- 
vitchie Convent with its many artistic spires. 
Beyond the convent lay Moscow, with an 
appearance of close-knit white stucco along 
its base line, while along the sky line hun- 
dreds of golden domes glittered in the set- 
ting sun. As the rays of the sun became 
weaker, the myriads of dazzling scintilla- 
tions resolved themselves into single flashes 
of light that could be counted. These also 
died out and Moscow was enveloped in an at- 
mosphere of spiritual silence. It was from 
Sparrow Hills Napoleon first viewed Mos- 
cow. At that time there were one thousand 
churches in the city ; now there are approxi- 
mately five hundred, each one surmounted 
by two to seven domes. 

96 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

Our guide said that the Czar of Russia is 
the richest man in the world; that he owns 
all of Siberia, which is rich in gold, silver 
and minerals; that Czar Peter the Great 
placed a sum of money in the government 
bank for the last Czar and this has been 
constantly increasing. The Czar is also head 
of the Church, which gives him an immense 
political influence. 

When a street car in Petrograd passes a 
church every Russian in the car immediately 
blesses himself. A uniformed soldier rid- 
ing in a cab about to pass a church will os- 
tentatiously make the sign of the cross. 
There are religious shrines in the railroad 
offices on the Nevsky Prospect, the Broad- 
way of Petrograd, and in all the railway 
stations. 



97 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

When one compares the royal collection 
of personal jewelry in the Hermitage, rep- 
resenting a prodigious sum, with the condi- 
tions among the poorer classes of people, the 
contrast is too great. There is a room in a 
palace on the Nevsky Prospect which is lined 
with lapis lazuli at a cost of one dollar an 
ounce ; and there is a seventy-five carat dia- 
mond in the frame of a holy picture in one 
of the churches. Yet in some communities 
the peasants are so poor that several fam- 
ilies use the same dining-room because no 
one family can afford a dining table. The 
peasants gather around the table in the mid- 
dle of which is placed a bowl of soup ; each 
person has a large piece of bread which is 
dipped into the soup again and again until 
the meal is finished. 

There are in the suburbs of Petrograd 

98 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

several palaces which the Czar has presented 
to retired government officials. These pal- 
aces are provided with military guards, to 
protect the occupants from assassination. 

The chief of police of Petrograd gets fifty 
thousand dollars a year ; a laborer gets fifty 
cents a day. I have sat on park benches in 
Petrograd, among the poor people, and have 
seen them shiver and shrink back, and their 
faces blanch with fear, when a soldier sim- 
ply passed on his way through the park. 

One can better appreciate Tolstoi's influ- 
ence in Russia after having visited there. 
By birth he was an aristocrat; but he vol- 
untarily left that class to go and live among 
the poor and to share their fate. Some of 
his brother writers, while still in the prime 
of life, disappeared in the mysterious Rus- 
sian way; but Tolstoi, in spite of his writ- 

99 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

ings, remained unharmed, because the gov- 
ernment would have had to reckon with the 
intellectual world outside of Russia had any- 
thing happened to him. Tolstoi has been 
called the "Russian John the Baptist", 
preaching in the wilderness ; and it has been 
said that had he been sent to Siberia every 
peasant in Russia would have followed him. 

Cholera is said to be prevalent in Petro- 
grad in the summer time. The streets are 
sprinkled with a disinfectant, the odor of 
which is so nauseating that the upper classes 
desert the city at this season. 

The black eyed, tall-statured Russian with 

high pompadour and black beard that one 

reads of in novels is the exception in Petro- 

grad. Most of the inhabitants have light 

hair and fair skin, like the Scandinavians. 

Russians of the upper class are highly cul- 

100 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

tivated, and speak easily several languages. 
The middle class and the peasants are, as a 
rule, of fine strong stature with a vigorous 
walk, and have open, honest faces. The peo- 
ple are not educated to self-government; if 
they were, and if Russia were a republic, 
it would be one of the finest countries in the 
world. 

And now we leave the fascinating domes 
of Russia to journey in Austria. It was im- 
possible to secure accommodations by way 
of Warsaw, so we took a straight route to 
Vienna. This was the worst journey that I 
ever made. I think we were two days and 
three nights on the road. The thermometer 
registered one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, 
and all the car windows were kept closed to 
keep out the clouds of sand. The guard dust- 
ed the compartment several times a day, but 

101 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

in the morning I would lean out of my 
berth and fish my shoes out of a mound of 
dirt. From the train we saw great fields of 
waving grain which was being harvested by 
men, women and children with sickles and 
scythes. The peasant huts are small and di- 
lapidated, with thatched roofs and a single 
stove pipe. 

In the dining car the one palatable dish 
was cabbage soup. There was no drinking 
water on the train, so at a way station we en- 
tered a lunch room to buy some bottled 
water. Upon the counter was a large col- 
lection of what looked like bottles of min- 
eral water in our own country. We pur- 
chased one for a dollar, and thought now we 
would have some fresh drinking water for 
our parched throats. When we returned to 
our compartment and expectantly opened 

102 



RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

the bottle, we found — not drinking water at 
all, but vodka, the Russian whisky! We 
carefully conserved it till the end of the trip, 
and then presented it to the train guard, who 
thanked us profusely. 

When we reached Vienna, it took us a 
whole day to make ourselves presentable. 
Our clothes could not be made clean, and 
we had to throw them away. 

In Vienna one afternoon, as I approached 
St. Stephen's Church, I noticed a crowd as- 
sembling. I inquired the reason, and was 
told that they were coming to assist at the 
funeral of the Archbishop of Vienna, which 
would occur at three o'clock. Carriages of 
dignitaries were now passing through the 
square to the church. The uniformed coach- 
men wore empire hats with cockade orna- 

103 



TRAVEL SKETCHES 

ments. The square was guarded by the po- 
lice, who demonstrated an excellent system 
of firm but gentle control of the crowds. All 
sorts of uniforms were to be seen ; the Hus- 
sars were resplendent in red trousers, high 
top boots, and green plumes. A Field Mar- 
shal wore a Copenhagen blue jacket with 
black trousers having red stripes on the side. 

Delegations from women's, children's, 
men's and nuns' societies, with banners fly- 
ing, arrived from time to time, and were 
marshalled to waiting positions in the 
square. A regiment of Hussars seemed to 
have the post of honor, near the church door. 
The cardinals in full regalia repaired to the 
archbishop's palace, opposite the church. 

Almost immediately the procession 
formed. The cardinals, enveloped in long 
embroidered red capes and mitred hats, led 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

the way as a guard of honor. Behind them 
the coffin was carried aloft by bearers. It 
was covered by two purple cloths of differ- 
ent shades, and a huge but simple wreath of 
green with flowers rising mound-like from 
its center. 

The procession now circled the church, 
picking up in its course the societies from 
their various positions. First came the Jes- 
uits, then the Franciscans, and then the Do- 
minicans. There were twelve hundred 
priests in line, in white cassocks, and follow- 
ing them came the secular societies. 

On the left is the Gothic tower of St. Ste- 
phens, on the right are quaint, antique ga- 
bled buildings. Into the passageway be- 
tween them wound the procession, the after- 
noon sun illuminating a spectacle that might 
have occurred in the fourteenth century. 

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The cortege had for a background the mili- 
tary and the ambassadorial carriages, filled 
with all the dignitaries that represent the 
cog wheels of a brilliant monarchial firma- 
ment. 

With slow steps the procession advanced, 
to the music of a sombre military dirge. The 
bells in St. Stephen's tower ring, toll, strike, 
strike, toll and ring until the last follower 
of the coffin disappeared within the black 
draped portals of the church. 

When I first arrived at the square I stood 
in front of two laboring men. They were 
short, and I almost obscured their view. 
When a carriage containing some dignitary 
appeared they would eagerly inspect him. 
They would then look at each other with 
beaming eyes and say, "Yis, that is his ex- 
cellency on the right." Then they would 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

touch their hats. When a priest appeared 
they would say, "That is his riverence so 
and so," and violently cross themselves. 

Several times I advanced into the square 
to take a picture, but the guard always mo- 
tioned me back. Finally I was standing in 
front of a jewelry shop, rather discouraged, 
when the proprietor stepped out and in a 
most courteous way offered me a window in 
his second story for a view point. Through 
his kindness I was able to get several pic- 
tures. 

The Rathhaus in Vienna is of Gothic ar- 
chitecture, and is built around one large 
court and six smaller ones. There is a large 
fest hall, with a magnificent marble stair- 
case. The ceiling of the Council Chamber 
is of gold, and the sides of beautiful paneled 
wood. The frescoes represent historical and 

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allegorical scenes. Other rooms contain 
beautiful Gothic furniture. From an upper 
balcony in front of the Rathhaus there is an 
inspiring view of Vienna, which for grand- 
eur, elegance and dignity of architecture is 
not surpassed among the vistas of European 
cities. 

A fine bronze monument of Maria Theresa 
adorns the park in front of the art gallery 
of Vienna. The excellent and wonderfully 
interesting collection of art in this gallery 
is taken full advantage of by a large student 
body. I selected and purchased about sixty 
photographs of the pictures that most im- 
pressed me. 

In another quarter of the city is the gal- 
lery of Count Lichtenstein. The guide-book 
says that the portrait of Marie Luise von 

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Tassis, in this gallery, is one of the finest 
pieces of art of the seventeenth century. I 
think it is one of the finest belonging to any 
century. 

In the Vienna shops are photos of Franz 
Joseph in many costumes and poses. The 
one I liked best was a sepia portrait on a 
postal card, showing the Emperor in Alpine 
costume, with an Alpine feather in his hat. 
When the shop keepers hand out photos of 
Franz Ferdinand and the Archduke Fran- 
ces, you get the history of the whole royal 
family. 

In Vienna we fell in with some friends 
from home. Each day we took our meals 
with them in a different cafe. This seems to 
me to be the custom here. I saw ladies tak- 
ing breakfast alone, and was told it is quite 
customary for a wife to patronize a cafe 

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which she liked, while her husband would go 
to a different one. 

After returning home, I met a gentleman 
who had married a Viennese girl and 
brought her to his home city in America. 
He said she missed the cafe life in Vienna 
very much, and he was having great diffi- 
culty in finding enough cafes in his town to 
take her to. 

Early one morning we drove a considera- 
ble distance from Vienna to a wharf on the 
Danube, to take a boat for Budapest. The 
boat was an average river steamer, with the 
decks protected by flapping canvas. In a 
cold drizzling rain, which continued all day, 
we sat on the wet decks in company with an 
interesting English couple, whose adapta- 
bility and social charm relieved the situa- 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

tion from boredom and discomfort. It was 
still raining when we disembarked at Buda- 
pest about six o'clock in the evening. 

Budapest is really two cities. Buda is sit- 
uated on one side of the Danube, and Pest on 
the other. The majestic river sweeps along 
under a series of fine suspension bridges 
connecting the two cities. Rising from the 
terraced banks on one side are the Palace 
and several magnificent government build- 
ings. On the opposite side are the beautiful 
Parliament House, the market on the wharf, 
and the hotels. Budapest is one of the most 
picturesque cities in the world, especially at 
night, when the lights are in the buildings 
and on the terraces. 

The Gothic Parliament House in Buda- 
pest is a delight to an art lover. Near it I 

saw a gypsy woman wearing at least sixteen 

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petticoats of different colors. As she walked 
their voluminous folds swung about from 
their own weight and revealed all sorts of 
brilliant colorings. She had a happy, laugh- 
ing face, and was barefoot. Her male com- 
panion was dressed principally in a goat 
skin, and a violin was swung across his back. 
Somehow the gypsies did not seem to pro- 
vide the proper social atmosphere for the 
Gothic Parliament House, whose beautiful 
dome is visible at the head of so many streets 
that radiate from it like the spokes of a 
wheel. 

I understand that Budapest is quite ad- 
vanced in problems of health and sanitation ; 
but the streets were certainly very dirty 
when we were there. 

The next morning we went shopping. We 
wished to buy a Hungarian flag. A mer- 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

chant referred us to a man who made them 
to order. We entered a small, dark, room 
off an alley, near the central business por- 
tion of the city. The man said yes, he would 
make us a flag. He also said he was just 
preparing to depart for America. "Here I 
am able to make only a few gulden a week," 
he said, "and if I buy something to eat I 
have nothing left for clothes," and vice 
versa. We returned in an hour to get the 
flag. It was made of strips of cheap satin 
ribbon, coarsely sewn together by a machine, 
which was the only piece of furniture in the 
workroom. 

We returned to Vienna by train, the trip 
occupying five hours. The next day at noon 
we left Vienna by train for Linz, Austria, a 
picturesque little town situated on the Dan- 
ube. It was dark when we arrived, but there 

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was a great glow of light on the opposite 
bank of the river. I learned upon inquiry 
that it was a folk-fest. 

Dinner at the hotel was served in a gar- 
den on the river bank, and the light from 
the opposite shore streamed right up to our 
table. We thought all we had to do was to 
walk across the bridge and we would be 
right at the fair, but it proved to be nearly 
two miles. The main street of the fair was 
lined with cafes, crowded with country peo- 
ple, drinking beer. In every cafe was an 
excellent band. 

We visited a Tyrolean hunting booth. The 
guns were very old. The sight was obtained 
by looking through a pin-hole in a central 
disc. Further down the barrel a pointer was 
placed, not in the middle, but on one side. A 
series of painted scenes, apparently inani- 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

mate, were hung along the back wall of the 
booth. A white card with a red bull's-eye 
in the center was attached to each scene. 
When the bull's-eye was hit the scene be- 
came animated, revealing a man spanking 
his wife, while their child rent the air with 
screams. In another scene a boy in a tree 
stealing apples was pulled down by the irate 
owner, and so on. 

At another booth a fairy at a window 
beckoned us in. Once inside we began a tor- 
tuous walk through dark corridors; some- 
times over revolving plates, then over soft 
bags, then on rickety slats, until finally a 
canvas stretched over revolving rollers eject- 
ed us through the welcome ausgang (exit). 

The next morning was Sunday, also a f est 
day. Crowds swarmed up and down Franz 
Joseph Platz, visiting the market on the 

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way to church. Many handsome Tyrolean 
costumes Were to be seen. 

The church at Linz is a model of St. Ste- 
phen's in Vienna. Linz also has a handsome 
museum. The town is immaculately clean 
and very pleasing. 

We left Linz by train early in the morn- 
ing for Saltsburg, by way of the Kammersee 
and Mondsee. About noon we arrived at 
Kammer, situated at the head of the Kam- 
mersee. At the hotel we had lunch in a gar- 
den near the lake, where there are beautiful 
views of mountain peaks. At three o'clock 
in the afternoon we took a boat to journey to 
Unteracht, at the other end of the lake. The 
trip was most delightful. 

The Kammersee, or Attersee, is one of the 
largest lakes in the Tyrol. Its waters are a 
fascinating sea green. The steamer travels 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

along one shore for a time, and then strikes 
directly across the lake and pokes its nose 
into the harbor of some little town which, 
on account of the lake mists, cannot be seen 
from a distance. At all these points native 
Tyroleans board the boat. Among the ladies 
low-necked costumes prevailed, and half 
socks among the men. And although the 
day Was a bit chilly, I did not see one of them 
shiver. 

The mountains rise directly from the wat- 
er's edge, and are clothed with pine tree 
verdure and dotted with Swiss chalets. The 
Sharpsberg and its companion peaks are 
visible; at first clouded with mist, but on 
nearer approach becoming clearer and more 
forcibly outlined. 

In Weisenbach numerous hospitable look- 
ing chalets are to be seen near the docks. 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

From Weisenbach the boat proceeds straight 
across to the town of Unteracht, which is 
situated in the valley that leads to the town 
of See. We disembarked and took an elec- 
tric car for the latter place, a quarter of an 
hour's ride. At See we boarded one of the 
little steamers plying on Mondsee. After a 
short ride on this lake, which also is sea- 
green and has mountain-rocked shores, we 
alighted at Plomberg and took the narrow- 
gauge railway for Saltsburg. 

We arrived at Saltsburg (elevation 1,350 
feet) at eight o'clock in the evening. In 
passing through the lobby of the hotel I no- 
ticed that it is modern. At the rose shaded 
tables in the dining room every one was in 
faultless evening dress. 

Our first real view of Saltsburg was from 
the window of our room. Lights appeared 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

at irregular intervals on the mountain side 
and in the valley. Deep-toned bells rang out 
from many church towers, proclaiming this 
community to be a church-going one ; and as 
no sounds of business life came from the val- 
ley, we were reminded that this was the 
same holiday which we had begun at Linz. 
The next morning we visited the house 
where Mozart lived, the Mozart Museum and 
the Cathedral. We then took the cable rail- 
way to the fortress on Hohen Saltsburg, 
which was built in the eleventh century. In 
feudal times, w;hen a town expected an at- 
tack from an enemy, it was customary for 
the citizens to take refuge in some impreg- 
nable fortress like Hohen Saltsburg, where, 
with plenty of supplies to ward off starva- 
tion, safety could be secured quite indefinite- 
ly. In case of siege about twelve hundred 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

people could be taken care of in Hohen 
Saltsburg. 

From the fortress there are fine views 
of several valleys. I was ready to take a 
snap shot of one when the guide sharply 
notified me it was against the law to take pic- 
tures there. The other members of the par- 
ty promptly put up their cameras. After 
they had all docilely followed the guide to 
the opposite side of the tower to hear his 
lecture, I took two very good pictures. 

Inside the fortress there are several dec- 
orated rooms which w;ere used by a prince. 

Among the furnishings are a majolica stove 

from the fifteenth century, and an organ 

made in the eleventh century for Archbishop 

Leonard. The organ is played every day at 

11 a. m. following the playing of the chimes 

in Saltsburg Cathedral. 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

We came down the cable railway to St. 
Peter's Church and Cemetery, situated at 
the base of the mountain on the outskirts of 
Saltsburg. The cemetery is quaint with 
bronze crucifixes at every grave; it has as 
much individuality as the Campo Santo. 

It was eleven o'clock and the chimes of 
Saltsburg Cathedral rang out. When they 
ceased, the Archbishop's organ pealed back 
from the fortress five hundred feet higher 
up. The melody of a church hymn floated 
through the castle window to greater heights 
and then in full harmonious volume down to 
the cemetery, where travelers stood with en- 
raptured, upturned faces. The dead here 
must be at peace, and there is also peace here 
for the living, weary and bruised in worldly 

strife. The Tyroleans standing about said, 

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"It is the Archbishop's organ," and re- 
moved their hats until the music ceased. 

In the afternoon we drove to Berchtes- 
gaden. This town is built along a road which 
winds up the mountain side, and consequent- 
ly presents a very picturesque appearance. 
We continued our drive to Konigs See, one 
of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and 
returned to Saltsburg by way of Bad Reich- 
enhall, a placid little bathing-place, where a 
few: smart rigs were the sole attraction on 
the street. 

We left Saltsburg early the next morning 
for Innsbruck, by way of Zell am See. This 
is one of the prettiest railway trips in Eu- 
rope. The route crosses mountain torrents 
and passes along the borders of placid lakes 

and through beautiful valleys, from which 

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BUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

the ruins of feudal castles on the mountain 
sides may be seen. 

The architecture of the chalets here be- 
comes more typical of the Tyrol. With the 
idea of securing plans for a summer home, I 
sat at the car window and industriously 
sketched designs of chalets as we passed. 
Some had wood ornamentation on cement 
walls ; others had fancy iron railings on the 
roofs; still others carved balconies, gables 
and porches. On the back of my designs, 
long since lost, Doctor drew leering, comic 
figures. 

Innsbruck, the capital of the Tyrol, is a 
city of about forty-five thousand inhabitants 
and is unusually interesting as to both scen- 
ery and history. It is situated in a basin, 
around which mountains, with sharp, snow- 

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covered peaks close in on every side. The 
principal street is the broad parked Maria 
Theresien Strasse, lined on both sides with 
shops, hotels and other buildings, with a 
handsome monument in the center. Some 
of the buildings date from the seventeenth 
and eighteenth centuries. Herzog Fried- 
rich Strasse leads out from Maria Theresien 
Strasse to the north and is lined with bazaar 
shops. Pacing its terminus is a palace en- 
riched with a magnificent Gothic balcony, 
decorated with a combination of gold and 
mosaic. The story goes that Count Fried- 
rich of Tyrol was such a spendthrift that 
he was known as the Count of the Empty 
Pockets. In order to counterbalance the ef- 
fect of this appellation he caused the palace 
with das goldene dachl (the golden balcony) 
to be built at a cost of approximately seventy 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

thousand dollars. The balcony is really a 
fine work of art, and is visited by many ap- 
preciative tourists. 

We next visited the Franciscan Church, 
which was built in compliance with the will 
of Emperor Maxillian I., in order to receive 
his monument. He is not buried here, how- 
ever, but at Wiener Neustadt. Andraes 
Hofer, the brave defender of Innsbruck, 
and some of his comrades, are buried in 
this church. 

The Emperor's monument in the church 
is of white marble; upon the sides are re- 
liefs of fine carvings, done by the master 
minds of that era and representing events in 
the life of the Emperor. Surrounding it is a 
collection of bronze figures, the finest replica 
among them being that of King Arthur. 

In the evening we dined at the Stadtsalle 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

restaurant, where a Tyrolean troupe in 
charming costumes gave an entertainment of 
songs and dances. One of the numbers was 
called a platter dance. I recollect hearing 
the people say the dancers wlere coming to 
"platter" that evening. This dance con- 
sisted in patting the floor with wooden-soled 
shoes in double rhythm, and it ended with the 
couple doing a whirl so prolonged that it 
seemed as if they must certainly collapse 
with vertigo; but instead they brought up 
short in perfect equilibrium, and with calm, 
smiling faces. 

At the south end of Maria Theresien 
Strasse is a handsome triumphal arch. Prom 
here a road leading into the country passes 
an artistic church and continues up Berg 
Isel, the hill upon which the brave Andraes 

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EUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

Hofer and his comrades defended Inns- 
bruck from the French. 

On another suburban trip we drove to 
Miihlau, a settlement with pert little mills 
run by electricity Then one day we took 
a street car which connects with the incline 
railway to the Weiherburg. As the car rolled 
along I saw a woman washing windows from 
the outside of her house. She was armed 
with a dipper and a large pail of water, and 
her head was protected by a dusting cap. 
She would fill the dipper, then with a back- 
ward sweep of her arm pitch the water 
against the window with great force, and 
then dodge back to the edge of the sidewalk. 
Evidently she was doing good work, for the 
entire front of the house was so dripping 
wet, it looked as though the fire department 
had turned the hose on it. The sidewalk was 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

a miniature lake, but the windows seemed 
quite dry. 

From the Weiherburg there is a wonder- 
ful panoramic view of Innsbruck with its 
suburbs and the Valley of the Inn River. 
Along the edge of the mountain there is a 
row of chalets that look as if any fair wind 
would blow them into the valley. The one I 
definitely selected as a model for my sum- 
mer home had a first story of white cement. 
The second story was of gorgeous red 
stained wood. A carved wood balcony, 
fringed with gay red geraniums, encircled 
the entire house on a level with the second 
story floor. On one side of the house near 
the front, was painted a large oval copy of 
the Dresden Madonna. 

From Innsbruck we continued our trip 
to Munich along the Bavarian lakes. From 

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RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA 

Munich we took a through train to Paris. 
As this was at the time of the Moroccoan 
crisis, we saw troops of German infantry 
moving towards the French frontier, and, 
after we crossed the line, French cavalry 
moving towards the German frontier. Our 
train consisted of eleven coaches, nine of 
which were filled with soldiers. The railroad 
station in Paris swarmed with troops wear- 
ing plumed helmets and clanking swords. 



129 



CHAPTER III. 

Belgium and Holland. 

One of the most popular continental routes 
into Holland is from Paris through Belgium 
by way of Brussels. The Brussels Express, 
which is called the Rapide, leaves the Gare 
du Nord, Paris, and reaches its destination 
in from five to six hours. On reaching Brus- 
sels we at once change cars for Ostend. 

Ostend is the fashionable sea coast resort 
of Belgium. When King Leopold was alive 
he maintained a summer residence here, and 
fashionable people flocked to the resort in 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

great numbers. There is a promenade along 
the seashore similar to those at Brighton, 
England, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, but 
this one is built of stone, and is more perma- 
nent. Ostend is laid out with parked streets 
and attractive gardens. The Kursaal fronts 
upon a pretty park. A splendid orchestra 
and famous operatic stars appear at the 
Kursaal in the evening, and the assemblage 
is brilliant with style and fashion. There 
is more swing in the life at Ostend than in 
any other sea coast resort of continental Eu- 
rope. 

Our next visit was to Bruges, which was 
one of the most important commercial towns 
in Europe in the thirteenth century. There 
is sufficient evidence of its former splendor 
in the Gothic municipal buildings and the 
churches. In the hospital of St. John is a 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

collection of pictures by Memling which is 
well worthy of a visit. 

In the outskirts of the city there is a con- 
vent in which old ladies may be seen making 
the famous Bruges lace. In the belfry of 
the Halles there is a set of the finest chimes 
in Europe. On almost every street corner 
artists are transferring perspectives to can- 
vas; but this is about the only sign of life 
there is. Bruges went to sleep in the four- 
teenth century and has not awakened since. 
After a stroll through the unemotional 
streets, one hopes the town will never know 
the pulse of modern life, but will remain in 
all of the glory of its Gothic architecture for 
the artistic education of future generations. 

After another short ride on the train, we 
reach Ghent. The Cathedral here is not 
striking on the outside, but its interior is 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

unusually interesting. A traveler visiting 
the Gothic cathedrals of many European 
countries becomes familiar with carvings in 
marble as exquisite in design and execution 
as the finest lace work. In Belgium, how- 
ever, he will see something different. In the 
interior of Belgium cathedrals they use red 
brick, heavy gold ornamentation, and red or 
dark grey stone pillars; and yet these are 
combined in such an artistic way that the 
effect is one of startling magnificence. The 
historical associations of Ghent are full of 
interest. 

On the outskirts of the city we met two 
charming girls driving a cart into town with 
a supply of milk in brass cans. The horse 
seemed to think it was too busy a morning 
to have his picture taken, but after much 
pulling on the reins the girls succeeded in 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

inducing him to stand still long enough to 
be photographed. 

Brussels is one of the most finished capi- 
tals of Europe. The streets are broad and 
clean, and ornamented with many handsome 
monuments. The Cathedral of St. Grudule 
is rich with objects of art. The pulpit was 
carved by Verbruegen, and represents the 
expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. 
In the chapels are beautiful altars and paint- 
ings. The stained glass windows are very 
old, and in the mellow tones of many colors 
they radiate the effulgence of a lighted 
Christmas tree. 

The City Hall is Gothic in architecture 
and is extraordinarily beautiful. Outside of 
it, under red and white umbrellas, handsome 
flower girls sell bouquets. A large bunch 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

of American Beauty roses may be had for 
twenty-five cents. 

The Art Gallery contains a choice, well 
selected collection of paintings and sculp- 
tures. The standard is higher than that of 
the Luxemburg Gallery, and much better 
than that of the Louvre, both in Paris. It 
would take at least three days of a tourist's 
time to do justice to this gallery. 

The Bourse, a trade building, is conceived 
in a poetical style of architecture, which sig- 
nifies that these people, while making rapid 
strides in commerce have simultaneously ad- 
vanced in art. 

Through the Bois de la Cambre, a subur- 
ban park, runs a pretty drive, which leads to 
the battle field of Waterloo. 

Not the least of Brussels' attractions are 
her boulevards and shops. It is often said 

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of European shops that everything they 
have is in the windows; but in Brussels, 
after you have inspected the clever window 
displays, step inside and you will find a large 
reserve stock of the famous Brussels lace, 
fine gloves and handsome leather goods. 

We went by train to Dortrecht, an old- 
time city, founded by Count Dietricht of 
Holland in the eleventh century. It is said 
that in the middle ages all produce brought 
into Holland had to pass through Dortrecht 
and pay custom duties there. As a result 
the town became very flourishing. Its neigh- 
bor, Rotterdam, became envious and finally 
secured a great portion of this trade. 

The first Congress of the Netherlands 
Commonwealth was held at Dortrecht. The 
city was the birth place of many famous 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

painters, among them Arij Scheffer and 
Nicholas Maas. 

In the Groote Kerke the choir stalls are 
finely carved, and represent work of the six- 
teenth century artists. They portray scenes 
of Bible history. The tower on this church 
is the only square thing in Dortrecht. The 
town is full of artistic houses with gabled 
roofs. Some of the women wear lace bon- 
nets which are most picturesque. 

In Holland a camera at once attracts a 
crowd. When about to photograph a lady 
with a wonderful lace bonnet I was dis- 
mayed at seeing a lot of others trying to 
crowd into the picture. I had to promise 
them to take their picture after I had se- 
cured that of the lady. In the second pic- 
ture, where the leading lady is sharing the 
limelight with so many others, she is not 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

wearing so pleasant a smile. I have been 
asked if the crowd is the lady's family. 

While walking along the main street one 
day I saw an artistic figure approaching, ac- 
companied by a peculiar odor. It proved 
to be a woman peddling kerosene. She was 
not anxious to be photographed, but sub- 
mitted with passive interest. Later in the 
day I aimlessly turned into an alley and 
there was the kerosene peddler delivering a 
morning supply of kerosene to a customer. 
She promptly gave me a cordial bow, and ex- 
plained to the lady in Dutch that I was a 
friend of hers who had already taken her 
picture. My heart was warmed by this little 
human experience, and I felt more welcome 
in Dortrecht. 

Here, as in all Dutch towns, one sees most 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

peculiar draw bridges which look like those 
over the moat of a feudal castle. 

Proceeding to the w T harf to take a boat for 
Rotterdam, we were attracted by the clang- 
ing bell of a ferry boat, impatiently waiting 
for its last passengers, a boy and girl with 
large brass milk cans. They cheerfully took 
the risk of losing the boat for the sake of 
two coppers I tossed them while taking their 
pictures. 

An excellent modern steamboat plies be- 
tween Dortrecht and Rotterdam. It stops 
at Kinderquek and other points long enough 
to take aboard the butter and cheese brought 
down to the quay by the busy Dutch house- 
wives. Rotterdam is a commercial town. 
Its hotels are situated in noisy places, con- 
sequently we did not stay there long. 

The following day we placed our baggage 

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TRAVEL SKETCHES 

on a convenient cab and told the man to 
drive to the boat for Delft. Presently the 
cab stopped and the driver set the baggage 
down. There was no boat in sight; but as 
we approached nearer we saw below the 
high wharf a canal boat, on the top of which 
passengers occupied camp chairs around a 
sportive smoke stack. In the rear end of 
the boat were several cows, contentedly view- 
ing the scenery while waiting for the boat to 
start. We went aboard, took our chairs, and 
joined the company around the smoke stack. 
The boat had hardly started when they all 
slid from their seats into a kneeling posture, 
We followed the example, just in time to 
save our heads from a good knock from a 
low bridge under which we were passing. 
The smoke stack was turned down on hinges 
in our midst for the occasion, and when we 

140 



BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

arose from our lowly positions, many of us 
had blackened faces. 

As the boat proceeded it passed so close to 
the backs of the houses that we obtained a 
good idea of the native life. The Dutch 
fraus would emerge from the houses with a 
basket of clothes which they wash in the wat- 
ers of the canal. They scrub the walks and 
pavements; in fact, they scrub everything 
in sight, but the trees. Then they slip off 
their wooden shoes, re-enter the house, and 
go about their other duties. We handed 
sweetmeats to the children along the banks 
of the canal, who made long reaches for them 
but never fell into the water. 

The pleasant journey ended at Delft, 
which is the burial place of the Dutch roy- 
alty. From Delft Haven the Pilgrim Fath- 

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ers started on their journey to America in 
1620. 

Delft has picturesque canals, and two 
good churches. There is the old church in 
which is the tomb of the famous Admiral 
Van Trompf , and the one built in the four- 
teenth century, called the new church, in 
which is the tomb of William of Orange. 
Near by is the house in which William was 
assassinated. 

Delft is famous for its blue chinaware. It 
is now made in factories, and instead of the 
rich dark blues with which we are familiar, 
they use mostly a white foundation with a 
design in blue tracing. The china is sold 
in only one or two shops, and seems to be 
quite as expensive here as it is in our own 
country. 

We again vary our mode of travel, and 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

take a tram car from Delft to The Hague. 
Among the passengers are Dutch families 
who address their acquaintances in excellent 
French and German. 

In the thirteenth century Count William 
of Holland built a hunting lodge on the pres- 
ent site of The Hague. It was called Schra- 
venhagen, which is the Dutch name for the 
Count's Woods. The Hague is one of the 
most elegant capitals in Europe. The pub- 
lic buildings are handsome, the thorough- 
fares scrupulously clean, the shops have a 
smart appearance, and the private houses 
are ornamental. It is the residence of the 
Queen, and therefore of the court and aris- 
tocracy. The people are distinguished look- 
ing and well mannered. The "Wood" is 
now on the outskirts of the city; but well 
kept trees line the streets and leafy branches 

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meet over the tranquil placid canals. In the 
center of the town is a lake called the Vijer, 
which mirrors the fascinating shadows of the 
adjacent public buildings. 

In the Mauritshuis or art gallery is one 
of the choicest collections of art in Europe. 
There are fourteen Rembrandts, among 
which is the famous Rembrandt's Anatomy. 
The Night Watch, at Amsterdam, by Rem- 
brandt, is often called the finest picture in 
Holland; but I think, in some respects, his 
Anatomical Lecture shows finer talent. In 
this picture the students are gathered 
around a table, intently following the anat- 
omist's demonstrations; and the different 
expressions of scientific interest upon their 
countenances overshadow every other detail 
in the picture. 

Other buildings of interest are the 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

Queen's Palace, Baron Steengracht's pic- 
ture gallery, and the Mesdag Gallery. The 
first International Peace Conference met at 
The Hague in 1899. 

In Holland cities it is quite the custom for 
the people to frequent the streets in the even- 
ing. At The Hague great crowds assemble 
every evening on a street called the Lange 
Pooten. The people have beautified their 
residences because they love the artistic. 
There is here all the refinement and comfort 
of civilization, in an atmosphere of sylvan 
beauty, which seems the essence of repose 
and peace. 

The House in the "Wood" is a royal resi- 
dence in the suburbs. Its interior presents 
an elegant aspect, but one of domesticity and 
comfort, which is unusual among the royal 
palaces of Europe. 

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We took a tram from a shady square 
called the Plein and went out the old Sche- 
veningensche Weg to Scheveningen, which 
is a combination of a fashionable sum- 
mer resort and fishing village. In the 
fashionable locality there is a broad 
walk along the seashore, and several hotels. 
The fishermen's cottages are situated some 
distance back of the hotels. About four 
o'clock in the afternoon fashionable crowds 
saunter along the promenade. The fisher- 
men's wives come up from the village and 
mingle with the throngs, and although they 
take note of the latest styles from Paris, 
which change several times during the sea- 
son, they themselves do not show the least 
change of heart towards their broad skirts 
and white-eared bonnets. 

One day as I was crossing the broad ele- 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

vated esplanade a woman carrying a basket 
of fruit and flowers came toward me. I 
raised my camera and took a snap shot pic- 
ture of her. She did not stop walking, but 
covering the distance between us she courte- 
sied, and said, " Please buy my flowers.' ' 
The average native does not always manifest 
such graceful diplomacy. 

Following a broad walk down to the beach, 
I came upon two women and a man picking 
up bathing suits. The women had on very 
wide, bright red skirts. All three looked 
so typical that I immediately made a bar- 
gain to take their picture. They agreed to 
take a copper apiece. I posed them and 
was looking through the finder of my cam- 
era to get the focus when I was amazed to 
see a white horse in the group. The man 
had marshalled up the horse and stood him 

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in line. I protested to the man that the horse 
would add nothing to the beauty of the pic- 
ture, but he simply replied, "Well, give us 
each two coppers more and we will take the 
horse out." 

The Scheveningen fishermen wear red 
shirts and large wooden shoes. I said to 
one of them, "Are not these shoes cold in 
winter?" "Oh, no," he replied, "we put 
straw in them. ' ' 

Along the beach there was a row of green 
wagons, which looked like enclosed grocers' 
wagons. I found they were used as bathing 
houses. The wagons are drawn into the sea 
by horses, and the bather jumps out of the 
wagon for his daily bath. There were also 
hundreds of tall yellow baskets, in which the 
ladies sat in comfortable protection against 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

the wind while the children waded in the 
water or picked up shells on the sand. 

Back in the village the women gossip 
while the wash dries. I walked up and 
down the street trying to get pictures of 
them ; but directly I raised my camera they 
would disappear into the house as if by 
magic. A group would scatter like fright- 
ened doves. I hired a cab and instructed 
the man to drive slowly. After passing a 
group, I would suddenly stand up and snap 
a picture ; but all I obtained was a photo of 
their fleeing backs. At last I encountered 
a clerical looking individual who regarded 
me severely, and said, "Why do you annoy 
these people? It is against their religion 
to have their picture taken." I afterwards 
read in a book on Holland that they regard it 
as a transgression of the first commandment. 

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There is no harbor at Scheveningen, but a 
town-crier keeps watch at night for the fish- 
ing boats coming in from the North Sea, 
and when he sights one he calls, "Come out, 
come out," and the people go down to the 
beach and help the horses pull the boat up on 
the sand. There are generally ten or fifteen 
boats lined up on the beach, and with their 
colored sails and flags, they are one of the 
most picturesque sights of the place. 

We now returned to The Hague, and pro- 
ceeded by automobile to Leiden. Every 
time our machine stopped we were imme- 
diately surrounded by a group of children. 
Holland is the home of the "Old woman who 
lived in a shoe who had so many children she 
didn't know what to do." 

In Holland the canals run through the 
fields, and the grain grows right up to the 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

water's edge. It is not unusual to see a 
large boat in full sail apparently moving 
through a level field of grain. 

On our journey as we crossed a road I 
saw a shepherd driving a flock of sheep. 
They were in position to make a pretty pic- 
ture. I jumped out of the machine and ran 
toward them. The sheep, seeing a figure 
bearing madly down upon them, and having 
no reason to believe it was a friendly visitor, 
promptly broke ranks, jumped off the high 
road into a ditch of water, and threw them- 
selves against a barbed wire fence. To my 
utter astonishment none of them were se- 
verely injured ; but they broke through the 
fence and scattered far and wide in a large 
field. The disconsolate shepherd shook his 
head and waved his arms in wild despair. In 
order to assist him, we made an effort to re- 

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assemble the sheep; but this was no easy 
matter. Two young farmers came into the 
field and soon demonstrated that their meth- 
od of managing sheep was far superior to 
ours. They gathered the flock together, 
chased them out onto the high road, and 
headed them for home. We gave the shep- 
herd some good coins to comfort him ; but he 
had lost a half hour's time, and went off with 
his flock shaking his head dubiously. 

One entering Leiden must soon feel the 
intellectual superiority of its people, and 
be impressed by its atmosphere of crisp pre- 
cision. It has a very good university. The 
famous painter, Rembrandt, was born here. 
His parents sent him to the university to 
study law, but when he should have been get- 
ting his lessons he was out in the woods, 
painting. 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

History tells us that when the Spaniards 
entered Holland for conquest in the six- 
teenth century, Leiden was under siege for 
almost a year. During the last six months 
of the siege, in 1574, eight thousand people 
died of famine. William of Orange ex- 
horted the inhabitants to hold out and he 
would send them aid. His brother, Louis, 
died fighting with the troops on his way to 
Leiden. The waters were so low that the 
rescuing Dutch fleet could not approach the 
town. On August the third, William di- 
rected that the dykes be pierced in sixteen 
places, but this did not let in sufficient water 
to float the heavy Dutch ships. The people 
of the town begged Burgomaster Yander 
Werf to surrender. He replied, "Here is 
my sword. Take it and plunge it into my 
breast and divide my flesh among you to 

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appease your hunger, but expect no surren- 
der as long as I live." On October the sec- 
ond, a storm on the North Sea raised the 
level of the waters, and the Dutch sailors 
forced their ships up to the forts. The Span- 
ish army fled and the town was saved. Once 
a year, on October the third, the inhabitants 
gather around the statue of Burgomaster 
Vander Werf , in Vander Werf Park, and 
celebrate deliverance day. As a reward for 
their bravery, William of Orange offered 
the people exemption from taxes or a uni- 
versity. They took the university. 

On the outskirts of the city there is a 
boys' military school. It was evidently 
wash day when we were there, for the boys' 
clothing was hanging up to dry in the most 
convenient place, which was the masts of 
their ship. 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

We now went in the automobile to a little 
fishing village by the sea called Katwijk. 
Some people think all these villages look 
alike, but to me they are all different, and 
each has a charm of its own. In Katwijk 
the roofs are red, the blinds are green, while 
to be in fashion, the front door must be blue. 
There are no idlers in Katwijk; everyone 
is busy. The faces of the people radiate su- 
preme contentment, which is one of the 
great attractions of the Dutch nation. 

The church at Katwijk is whitewashed 
both inside and out. An Englishman, spec- 
ulating upon possibilities if the English 
should move to Holland, said: "The little 
villages would not be so clean, and idle la- 
dies with parasols and idle gentlemen in 
knickerbockers would appear upon the 
streets. If the Dutch moved to England, 

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the race-tracks and athletic fields would be 
turned into pastures and Westminster Ab- 
bey would be whitewashed." 

We now resume our automobile tour to 
Harlem. Just out of Katwijk we came to 
an unusual ferry boat. It had a coupling 
appliance at each end which instantly and 
mechanically fastened the boat to the wharf. 

Everywhere along the route are the at- 
tractive black and white Dutch Holstein 
cows. The life of a cow in Holland must be 
a joy forever. In summer she has rich pas- 
turage and the pure water in the near-by 
canals. And some people say that in win- 
ter the cow has a red velvet blanket to keep 
her warm. Anyway, she is brought under 
the same roof with the family, and has a 
suite of rooms which is separated by only 
one door from the family sitting room. The 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

walls of her so-called stable are white- 
washed, and the floor is strewn with saw- 
dust. The result of all this attention is that 
the Holland cow is a mild and thoroughly 
companionable looking animal. 

We now reach Harlem, where the chief 
modern industry is bulb culture. In the sev- 
enteenth century the city was noted for its 
architects and painters. Lieven de Key 
built the famous Harlem meat market, which 
is in an excellent state of preservation and 
is a fine example of that artistic period. The 
town hall is another famous structure, and 
in one of its beautiful rooms there is a col- 
lection of Frans Hals' pictures. This artist 
was born in Harlem, and was a prolific paint- 
er. His portraits, whether singly or in 
groups, are virile and forcible, and, in my 
opinion, compare favorably with those of 

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Rembrandt in his best style. The Harlem 
collection is large and essentially fine Dutch 
art. I found it the most interesting single 
collection in Holland. 

The Dutch painters, Reubens, Rembrandt, 
De Clayer, Van Dyke and Frans Hals, ideal- 
ize humanity and bring out its best qualities. 
In their pictures the drawings are fine, 
strong, and perfect in proportions. The re- 
fined faces in their paintings show conscience, 
courage, strength and fortitude — the virtues 
that elevate humanity above the ordinary 
level. This seems to have been accomplished 
without effort on the artists' part: it was 
their inspiration. They lived and worked in 
an artistic atmosphere so long that when 
they reached the point of interpreting their 
conceptions the pictures developed without 
apparent effort. Thus the most evident 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

quality of their work is naturalism. The 
coloring as an attribute of art is lost sight 
of ; if it were eccentric it would be remarked ; 
if poor it would be instantly observed; but 
it is so true to life and so natural that the 
groups seem to be living beings. 

Prom Harlem we now proceed to Alk- 
maar. We notice that the women in the dis- 
trict near Alkmaar wear very trying and 
unbecoming bonnets. 

Alkmaar exports five million kilos of 
cheese a year. Friday is market day, and 
at five in the morning wagon-loads of cheese 
begin to arrive at the market. The cheese 
for export is colored red, that for home con- 
sumption is colored yellow. After the 
wagons arrive, the farmers throw the cheese 
from the load to the porters on the market- 
place, and hundreds of the red balls are fly- 

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ing through the air at the same time. You 
cross the market-place directly under the 
shower. The balls are laid in rows, and the 
buying begins at ten o'clock. When the 
farmers and the buyers agree on a price they 
strike hands. Sometimes they strike hands 
several times, to close the deal. It looks as 
if a great many long lost brothers had sud- 
denly met. 

The weigh house is a grey stone building. 
In the belfry there is a set of chimes, and 
the campanologist plays lively tunes, to en- 
courage the market. After the cheeses have 
been sold they are piled in pyramids on 
wooden boat-shaped receptacles. These are 
swung by means of straps over the shoulders 
of two porters. The porters commence a 
short fast trot in rhythm with the merry 
tunes dancing out of the belfry and csltyj 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

the cheeses into the weigh house. After 
they have been weighed and registered, the 
porters take up the load again and carry it 
to the canal boat, a dozen steps away. Each 
cheese weighs about four pounds, and there 
are sixty of them in each pyramid. The 
porters wear white suits, and colored rib- 
bons on their hats. They administer their 
duties with dignity and love the work. Some 
of them have been in the service of this 
market for many years. 

When the canal boats are loaded they sail 
to some ocean port like Amsterdam, where 
their cargoes are transferred to the holds of 
ocean vessels, to be carried to foreign lands. 
In this market a large business is transacted 
with system and finesse, in an artistic set- 
ting, accompanied by dazzling kaleidoscopic 
effects of motion and color. The market is 

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full of life, and is one of the most interesting 
places in Holland. 

We now resume our motor tour to Zan- 
dam, the center of the windmill country. 
There are seven hundred windmills in Zan- 
dam, which operate dairies, lumber mills, 
grist mills and blacksmith shops. In the 
country the farmers often live in the large 
round base of the mill which makes a very 
comfortable home. 

The dykes of Holland were not con- 
structed for automobile traffic. Thev are 
only wide enough on top for the milk carts 
drawn by the dogs. Just outside of Zandam 
there is a very high dyke about a mile long, 
which runs through a marsh. We had 
started along the dyke, and had made about 
half the distance in our sixty horse power 
machine, when we met a load of lumber. The 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

problem of passing was not a simple one. 
Each vehicle hung over the side of the dyke 
so far that it came near rolling into the 
marsh from gravitation. It is said that it 
costs five million dollars a year to repair the 
dykes of Holland, and also in the process of 
repair they are completely reconstructed 
every five years. There is a legend to the 
effect that a key in Amsterdam controls all 
the dykes in Holland ; and that if a conquer- 
ing power should obtain possession of the 
country, the dykes, by means of this key, 
could be opened and the entire country sub- 
merged. 

In 1697 Peter the Great of Russia came 
to Zandam to learn ship building. The little 
hut in which he lived while here is now en- 
closed with brick walls, in order to preserve 
it. 

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From Zandam we proceeded by automo- 
bile to Amsterdam, a great commercial 
center. It is very interesting to walk along 
the canals and see the boats loaded with 
cargoes worth many thousands of dollars 
and destined for all parts of the world. If 
there is a leisure class in Amsterdam I did 
not discover any evidence of it. 

In the Rijks Museum is a very fine col- 
lection of art which includes Rembrandt's 
celebrated painting, the Night Watch. 

One of the largest diamond markets in the 
world is at Amsterdam. When you enter a 
diamond store you are very closely scrutin- 
ized, and the door is locked behind you. The 
showcases are filled with unset stones. The 
clerks show them to you by the handful; 
each handful is worth thousands of dollars. 
After seeing this market, a diamond never 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

looks quite the same anywhere else. Here 
they look like fresh dew drops. 

One morning, after having visited a vege- 
table market, I wished to take a picture of 
the street diverging to the right. As I 
turned the corner, while looking in my cam- 
era to watch the picture appear in the finder, 
I suddenly saw a volume of falling water 
that looked almost as large as Niagara Falls. 
A stolid Dutchman facing me was washing 
the street and the water from the hose was 
descending near my feet. I looked at him 
inquiringly. He looked at my camera un- 
flinchingly, and the unwavering " Niagara" 
continued to approach. I could see from the 
unrelenting expression on his face that the 
Dutchman had no intention of turning the 
hose away; consequently there was nothing 
for me to do but to beat a hasty retreat. 

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The general market in Amsterdam is held 
under tents. I saw there a large display of 
china, from which one could select anything 
necessary to set a dinner table. In another 
tent was a large variety of shoe strings. It 
is very interesting to mingle with the people 
in the market-places, for you then come in 
direct contact with them, and can learn much 
concerning their daily lives in their buying 
and selling. When stopping in a foreign 
town I generally go to the market every day. 

One evening we went out for a stroll under 
the trees along the canal. We saw a man in 
a row boat, and thought we would like to 
take a ride. We beckoned to him. As the 
boat came up we saw on one end of it an 
extension bridge which slanted obliquely up- 
ward until it reached the top of the bank on 
which we were standing. Taking hold of 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

the side railing, we walked down the bridge 
into the boat and seated ourselves comfort- 
ably. The boatman rowed up stream, and 
shortly a lighted pavillion upon an island 
came into view. We motioned to the boat- 
man to row over to it, and the ascending 
bridge again reached easily to the high bank. 
After having a lemonade, we walked down 
our bridge into the boat again. This ar- 
rangement is the most convenient thing 
imaginable. I do not think the American 
people appreciate how convenient it is, to 
always carry your own bridge with you. 

The next morning, I called a cab, and not 
speaking Dutch, I instructed the hotel porter 
to tell the cab man to drive around the city 
and show me the sights. After a while the 
cab stopped in front of two houses with a 
passage-way between them. The cab man 

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motioned me to enter the passage-way. The 
houses were evidently private ones and had 
very forbidding exteriors, so I declined. 
Thereupon the cab man jumped off his box 
and gesticulated so wildly and shouted so 
loudly that rather than be arrested for dis- 
turbing the peace I entered the passage-way. 
At the end of it was an enclosure completely 
surrounded by houses. In the center of the 
enclosure upon a grass plat was a charming 
church which I should not have cared to 
miss. 

We now took a boat for the Isle of Marken, 
which is noted for its picturesqueness and 
the quaint costumes of the people. There 
are always several photographers here, 
snapping the same group of children, who 
pose with unconscious and almost profes- 
sional ease. 

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BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 

From Amsterdam we went to Bremen, 
and there took a liner for America. The 
third day out was to be Doctor's birthday; 
so before sailing I secretly visited a confec- 
tioner's shop and ordered a birthday cake, 
which was delivered to the steward of the 
boat. On the birthday the waiter approached 
the dinner table bearing a white cake three 
stories high, decorated with pink candles 
and white confectionery roses. The cake al- 
most illuminated the dining room, whose 0C7 
cupants seemed to take more than a passing 
interest in the celebration. 

With pleasant incidents the time on ship 
board passes quickly; but to the American 
who has spent several months in Europe, the 
New York Harbor is the finest sight in the 
world. 



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